


Lost

by fems



Series: Lost and Found [1]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: 2011 GateFic Award, AU, Adult Content, Adventure, Angst, Divergence Fic, Drama, Established Relationship, F/M, Graphic Sex, Hurt/Comfort, Language, Post Season 8, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-15
Updated: 2010-12-15
Packaged: 2017-11-01 00:24:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 50
Words: 254,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/349952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fems/pseuds/fems
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack got another star, Carter changed states, Teal'c left the planet and Daniel's moving to another galaxy… One goes missing which has an impact on all of them. The former flagship team of Stargate Command is eventually reunited and joins forces with Earth's allies in their quest for answers and end up hunting down one of their old enemies.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>  <img/>  <img/></p>
<p>And it was nominated in the Best Hurt/Comfort category of the <a href="http://www.samandjackawards.com/2014-fiction.html">SJMA 2014</a>:<br/><img/></p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: see profile
> 
> I don't have a beta, so any mistakes are my own. I wouldn't mind feedback and/or constructive criticism or just a comment to let me know why you (don't) like it.

"Enter," Hank Landry called out without looking up as someone knocked on his office door. He heard the door open and, after signing the paper he'd been reading, looked up to see Colonel Reynolds standing at attention.

"Sir," Albert Reynolds said, waiting to hear why he was summoned to his CO's office.

"At ease, Colonel," Hank waved him down and leaned back in his chair. "I know that I put SG-3 on stand down, with Lieutenant Johnson just being out of surgery and the rest of your men in need of some down time as well."

"Yes Sir," Albert nodded, wondering what his commanding officer was up to. Lieutenant Daniel Johnson had fallen off a ridge on their previous mission and was still recuperating from his surgery and Penhall and Mooney had taken their families to the mountains to enjoy their down time.

"Unfortunately," Hank sighed and watched the Colonel in front of him cringe in anticipation. Sometimes he really didn't like being in charge… "We have heard from the Free Jaffa – Teal'c actually – that they may have located Ba'al or one of his clones. The Tok'ra have confirmed that there is a good chance one of him was aboard the mothership. I know," he held up his hands to stop the Colonel from trying to speak up, "that your men have deserved their downtime and I don't plan on recalling them."

"Thank you, Sir," he was grateful, fearing that the long deserved break would have been interrupted once again.

"However, at the moment SG-3 is the team I am assigning to this mission."

"Sir, I don't understand."

"With SG-1 disbanded," Hank looked down at his paperwork, "and Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell wanting to be on the team… he's a rookie when it comes to the SGC, Colonel."

"Yes Sir."

"I want you to take him on the next mission, together with Lieutenant Hailey."

"With all due respect, Sir," Albert swallowed uncomfortably and shifted on his feet, "SG-3 is a Marine unit and they're not Marines, nor is either of them experienced enough."

"I know that, but you're not a Marine either," Hank smiled at him and shook his head. "But it worked a few years ago, with Lieutenant Morrison who will also be accompanying you before he's heading back to Atlantis."

Satisfied, considering he knew Morrison was more than capable as he'd served under Major Wade, Albert nodded. "Yes Sir, when is the debriefing?"

"At 1600 hours, Colonel. Dismissed."

* * *

"Sir, are we confident Ba'al is on this particular planet?"

Albert Reynolds tried to keep himself from rolling his eyes at the question from Lieutenant Hailey, for the umpteenth time that briefing. "The Free Jaffa were following one of his ha'tak vessels when it dropped out of hyperspace," he patiently explained. "For a moment, the ship seemed to be inoperable and a ring transport to the planet was witnessed by Teal'c before the ship took off and they pursued."

"So, all we know is that it was a ring transport which could have contained anything?" Jennifer Hailey asked, incredulous. Realizing her mistake, she added a belated "Sir" as the other men in the room scowled at her.

Taking a deep breath, Reynolds gave her a tight smile. "Yes,  _Lieutenant_ , that is all we know, which is why we are proceeding with  _caution_ ," he emphasized the words. "Major Thompson has talked to the Tok'ra and they confirmed they had one of their operatives aboard the ship and that there were at least two Ba'als present."

"And after the transport? Sir."

"We don't know, they took off before the Tok'ra could confer with their operative."

Clearing his throat, Lieutenant Colonel Mitchell looked around the table. "Sir, how can we be sure this is the right way to proceed? There could be anything lying ahead."

"Excuse me," Lieutenant Morrison smiled awkwardly, glancing at his – temporary – CO. "Am I correct to assume this particular planet doesn't have a gate?"

"Yes Morrison," Albert nodded, glad someone was finally paying attention and ignored Mitchell for the moment. "Which is why we are gating to a nearby planet and will be 'borrowing' one of the alkeshes that Major Thompson has secured there for us."

"Correct Sir," Ryan Thompson chimed in, nodding. "My team has secured two alkeshes, but one will probably be enough for this mission. We were in the vicinity when Teal'c contacted us from aboard the mothership pursuing Ba'al."

"And he's the one who thinks Ba'al was being transported down to the planet?" Jennifer asked, barely containing her excitement because she knew the Jaffa's reputation – had met him a few times, actually – and that he would not mention such a thing without being reasonably sure.

"Yes, he sent a few of the Jaffa down to the planet, but had to call them back because another ship, belonging to Ba'al," Ryan Thompson looked around the table, making sure everyone was paying attention to his story, "dropped out of hyperspace and started to attack."

"They said there were indications people were there," Albert added, a bit hesitant.

Catching on, Cameron Mitchell squinted at his CO. "But…?"

"The Jaffa were unable to secure the area and do a thorough sweep," he replied in a soft tone. "However, there were traces of naquadah-"

"Sir?" Cameron interrupted him. He'd been reading a lot of reports during his recovery but had never come across information suggesting the Jaffa used technology – from whatever planet or race – to detect traces of naquadah.

Sighing, Albert Reynolds turned to him. "Yes, Mitchell?"

"The Jaffa told you that?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," he replied, getting slightly frustrated. Having one new team member under his command was hard enough – it happened on occasion – but this briefing was getting tiresome. They'd started over two hours ago!

"How reliable is that information, Sir?"

"Considering Teal'c was the one who provided it," Ryan glared at the newcomer. At the moment he could care less that Mitchell was a rank higher, did he not know Teal'c's reputation? "I'd say pretty reliable."

"Sir, do we have their data?" Jennifer looked at her superior officer, wondering why he hadn't shown them yet. Ever since meeting Samantha Carter during her time at the Academy, she'd been prepping to get to the SGC and now that she was finally a first lieutenant, had gotten the opportunity to tag along with SG-3. She'd been going off world since she'd graduated from the Academy and became a second lieutenant – after completing several SGC training scenarios – but so far she had only been assigned to scientific teams. Of course there were a handful of occasions in which she was doing recon and always carried weapons, but she wanted more recon missions, like she had been shown when first learning of the program.

"Er… no," Albert grimaced. "There isn't any data."

"No data?"

"Again,  _Sir_ ," Cameron tried, "how can we be sure this is not a trap?"

"Colonel," Landry said in a disapproving tone, "the Free Jaffa are our allies and Teal'c would never betray us."

"Nor would Rak'nor, Sir."

"Rak'nor?" Emy Morrison questioned Reynolds. He'd been busy in Atlantis and even though the name sounded vaguely familiar, he couldn't place it.

"He is one of the Jaffa who worked with Teal'c and Bra'tac to establish a new government for the Free Jaffa."

"Wasn't he the one who betrayed Teal'c and nearly got him killed?" Cameron recalled from one of the reports.

"That was years ago, when he was still afraid to stand up to the Goa'uld," Ryan explained, knowing Rak'nor was a good man. "He actually saved Teal'c's life and has been with the Rebel Jaffa ever since."

"Anyway," Albert rolled his eyes, wanting to get it over with. He knew everyone of his motley collection was more than capable, otherwise they wouldn't be here, and just hoped they would be able to get along long enough to pull of this mission. "Rak'nor was the only one of the group of Jaffa sent down to the planet that isn't relying on tretonin to keep them alive and he was the one who sensed the naquadah."

"It took them a few minutes to assemble a team to go down," Ryan Thompson chimed in, having heard first hand from Teal'c. "By that time the signal wasn't very strong and they didn't have enough time to find the source."

"We know the landscape consists of mostly caverns that reach underground and that's probably where the people went which would make it a lot harder to pinpoint a specific point or person, right Hailey?"

Jennifer bobbed her head. "That is a fair assumption. What about the atmosphere, Sir?"

"Doctor Lee has been studying the data Major Thompson's team provided and has come to the conclusion that the caverns might very well harbor more people, because the scan couldn't penetrate and the atmosphere seemed to interfere with it as well. However, even a faint trace of naquadah can be picked up with one of Colonel Carter's old gadgets because of the unique signature the element emits," Albert Reynolds concluded, looking around the table. He hoped this team would prove to work, but would have felt more at ease with his own men.


	2. Recon

"Hailey," Albert Reynolds barked in the gate room, looking over his shoulder searching for the first lieutenant.

Stopping to catch her breath, Jennifer looked over to her CO. "Yes Sir?"

"Was that the last of it?"

"No Sir, Colonel Mitchell was right behind me," she told him and jerked her head in the other man's direction.

"Fine, go on," Albert made a dismissive wave with his hand and watched her go through the gate on her way to P3B-645. "Mitchell!"

"Yes Sir," Cameron immediately stood at attention as he stepped into the gate room and heard his CO call out to him. He bit back a groan as the heavy bag slid from his shoulders and something sharp poked in his back.

"Careful with that," he warned him as he secured his own pack, checked his P90 and pulled his cap over his head. "That's some pretty expensive stuff and we need it."

Cameron Mitchell nodded and quickly followed his CO through the gate as he heard General Landry mutter a goodbye from the control room.

* * *

Cam shuddered as he stepped through the gate on the other side, still not used to the strange feeling. Plus it was quite a few degrees lower on this planet than it had been inside of the mountain. "Sir?" Cameron questioned, adjusting the pack on his back as he let his P90 hang on its strap.

"Follow Morrison," Reynolds automatically replied and went over to Ryan Thompson. The Major had left the SGC after securing another FRED with supplies when the briefing was over, to join his team on P3B-645 who were waiting for his return. There had been a five-day storm that only ended the morning he was called back to the SGC, but the rain and wind had taken most of the supplies they had left outside in a tent secured the best they could. "Major."

"Yes Colonel?"

"How is everything?"

"Fine Sir," Ryan grinned at the superior officer. "None of my men were injured during the storm, the alkeshes gave enough protection. The only loss was the supplies and I brought back some with FRED last night. The area has been secured and a perimeter has been set up, but it doesn't look like we'll be getting any company, Sir."

Satisfied, Albert patted his shoulder. "Good work, Major."

"Thank you, Sir. However, there is a small problem with one of the alkeshes. Nothing that can't be fixed with some rerouting of the power or new crystals… or something," he smiled sheepishly, having no idea what Lieutenant Kemper – the scientist on his team – had been talking about.

Quirking an eyebrow, Albert Reynolds looked at the younger man, before his gaze shifted to where one alkesh was visible. "Is that the one?"

"Ah… no, Sir."

"Where is it then?"

"Hopefully, still next to it, Sir."

"Why is it cloaked?"

Scrunching up his nose, Ryan shrugged. "I have no idea, Sir. I told Kemper to get it fixed and it's been cloaked ever since…"

"Okay," Albert let out a deep sigh. Flexing his fingers, he grabbed the radio near his right shoulder. "Hailey, come in."

_"This is Lieutenant Hailey, Sir."_

"Are you done with the equipment?"

_"Yes Sir, we've placed everything in the alkesh."_

"Good work, Lieutenant."

 _"Thank you, Sir_ ," the smirk was clearly audible, even for Reynolds and Thompson.

"One of the alkeshes has a small problem. Think you can help Lieutenant Kemper fix it?"

_"Yes, Sir!"_

"Good, get to it. Reynolds out." Albert nodded to the Major at his side, who smiled in return.

"Thank you, Sir. Hopefully it'll be fixed sooner with the two of them working on it."

"You know," Albert rolled his shoulders, trying to get kinks out of his back and dropped his pack. "I didn't have time to catch the weather forecast."

Grinning, Ryan Thompson shook his head. "It's all looking good, Sir. I brought the MALP data with me and handed it to Dr. Lee before I set foot in the briefing room. Nothing but sunshine for at least three more days, Sir."

"You call this sunshine?"

"Well, it's the closest thing," he replied, following the Colonel's gaze up to the skies. "Compared with the week we've had, this is sunshine, Sir."

"Great, just great." Grabbing his radio again, Albert suppressed the chill that went down his spine as a gust of wind chose that moment to contradict the Major's words. "Mitchell."

_"Yes Sir?"_

"We're sleeping outside, set up camp."

_"Yes Sir."_

* * *

Taking the last bite of his MRE, Albert Reynolds looked around his motley crew. Major Thompson and his team were doing another sweep of the area – probably because they were getting restless, not because they thought there were people out there – and they had divided nightshifts. Because the makeshift SG-3 was supposed to go to the gateless planet in the morning, Thompson and his men were taking watch so that SG-3 could get enough rest.  _And rest they'd need_ , Albert thought, looking around the fire.

Hailey wasn't looking any worse for wear, but he'd met her a few times and she reminded him of Samantha Carter – only more arrogant and less friendly – in the way that she would keep up the tough act and work nights if she had to, but would not complain. Mitchell had been a good little soldier, not trying to whine too much – Albert had overheard him curse a few times while setting up camp – but he kept asking questions and couldn't seem to keep his mouth shut. He had a lot to learn… this wasn't the AF, well it was for Mitchell, but he wasn't flying choppers or F-16s anymore, not even F-302s at the moment. This was unlike anything the military trained for but it probably resembled Special Ops the most and Air Force Air Fighter training didn't come close. Okay, the man had played a key role in the battle over Antarctica, but that didn't mean he was cut out to become part of an SG-team instantly.  _I wonder if they covered silence during his basic training_ …

Thankfully, Albert knew he could count on Morrison and the Lieutenant hadn't let him down today. His time with the Atlantis Expedition had made an even better officer out of him than he already was and he knew how to handle situations like these. Unlike the other lieutenant and the lieutenant colonel, Albert didn't have to give him orders every ten minutes to make sure everything would go over smoothly. He grimaced, thinking of his own team that was still back on Earth. Johnson was doing better, but he still wasn't fit for duty – not even light duty – and the rest of his men were on down time, like they deserved. Still, he'd feel a whole lot better if he could have them here at this moment. If it really was Ba'al out there on that neighboring planet, he'd better not have some sort of secret laboratory with super soldiers – although he was pretty sure they'd defeated them all – or else his makeshift team would be toast! As would he…

"Hailey, how is that alkesh coming along?"

"We're making progress, Sir. You see, we suspect that the storm caused –"

"Hailey," Albert groaned. "Don't need the details. We'll fly out tomorrow, check out the planet and see if the atmosphere is as the data indicated."

"We're lucky Major Thompson and his team were able to record some of the data for us before they were caught in the storm," Jennifer told him, stirring her MRE as she wasn't very hungry at the moment.

"We are," he agreed, before looking at Mitchell and Morrison. They were chatting amicably in a soft tone. "Mitchell, Morrison."

"Sir?" Both men looked up.

"Did you hear what Hailey said?"

"Er…" Cam stammered, "not really, Sir."

"You don't think it was important?"

"No, Sir, I was simply distracted. We were talking about the mission tomorrow," Cam replied defensively.

"I know this looks like Earth – in some ways – but it isn't, Colonel," Albert scowled. "We  _already_  are on a mission and despite having Major Thompson and his team here to watch our six, we can't let our guard down. So, stop the chit chatting."

"Yes, Sir."

"Sorry Sir," Emy Morrison apologized. "I figured the data and the alkesh were Hailey's area of expertise. Will the alkesh be fixed in time for tomorrow's recon of the planet?"

Albert smiled, realizing Morrison  _had_  been listening. "We'll see, we can always take the other one, Thompson already offered… and if he hadn't, I'd pull rank," he smirked and leaned back. "Mitchell, you can accompany Hailey during her work on the alkesh."

"Of course, Sir. But I don't think I'll be of any help," Cameron frowned, feeling like a fish out of the water.

"I know, but she can tell you all about the crystals and what they do and where they're supposed to be," his smirk grew wider. "You might need that kind of information if you're aboard one of the ships without a scientist."

"Yes Sir."

"Plus, you can make sure she'll stop at 2300 hours."

"Sir," Jennifer tried protesting, but the glare Colonel Reynolds gave her quickly shut her up. He was probably right, she'd get carried away with trying to fix things and forget all about the time.

* * *

Ryan looked up as he heard the zipper from the tent behind him. "Good morning, Colonel Reynolds," he nodded and offered him a cup of coffee.

"How was watch?"

"Nothing happened," he shrugged and took a sip of his own black liquid.

"And the sun is still shining," Albert joked, pointing towards the distant sun with his cup, while pulling up his collar to protect his neck against the cold gusts of wind with his free hand.

"Yes Sir," Ryan chuckled, shaking his head. "A few more minutes and everyone will wake up."

"Will you be joining us on our little recon today?"

"Depends," he glanced in the direction of the MALP. "We have a scheduled contact with the SGC at 0800 hours."

"I think Hailey won't mind tinkering for a little while," Albert offered, enjoying his coffee as he leaned back against a log. "We can check out our equipment and go over the details of the landscape from your earlier data."

Nodding, Ryan smiled at the prospect of some action. "Yes Sir, I'd like that." This planet wasn't very interesting – at least, not for him. Kemper was enjoying himself immensely and if Ryan hadn't known better he'd almost suspect that the young lieutenant had sabotaged the alkesh for the fun of it. Matthew Bird – their archeologist – was having fun playing in the dirt most days and Captain Martin usually babysat either Bird or Kemper, while Ryan himself would look out for the other.  _So yeah, kind of boring._

"Good morning, Sir, Major."

Hearing Mitchell's voice, both men looked up and nodded.

Grabbing an extra cup, Albert held it up for him. "Want some coffee?"

"Yes Sir," Cameron smiled and sat down. "Did we miss anything, Thompson?"

"Nothing, Sir," Ryan told him. "Absolutely nothing happens on this planet…"

Cameron chuckled at his muttering and was surprised to see Colonel Reynolds smiling too. Apparently, the man  _could_  loosen up a bit! "What are the plans for today, Sir?"

"The Major here and his team have a scheduled check in with the SGC," Albert handed him his coffee and waved towards the MALP. "You and Morrison will be checking the equipment and I'll go over the collected data with Thompson, Hailey and Kemper."

* * *

"The new scans confirm the earlier data, Sir," Jennifer Hailey mentioned from the co-pilot chair in the alkesh. "Atmosphere is similar to that of Earth, there is sufficient plant life, only one sun with low UV radiation which makes it perfectly safe for us."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Albert nodded and turned to the other men. "Mitchell, Morrison and I will go down to the planet and take a quick look around. Thompson, once we're on the planet you take the ship to the other side and try scanning that area, hopefully the closer proximity will allow you to penetrate some of the caverns. Hailey will stay here to interpret the data, understood?"

A chorus of "Yes Sir" sounded and everyone – except Hailey – started moving around. Albert went over to the ring transport, the other two men followed him and Ryan took the pilot's seat.

"Hailey, Thompson," Albert tried his radio as they walked through the corridors.

_"Yes Sir?"_

"We're approaching the ring transport and will go down to the planet. Check ins every fifteen minutes. Reynolds out," he pressed the little button on his radio and stepped into the circle.

_"Understood Sir."_

He rolled his eyes at Mitchell and Morrison, who suppressed a grin and waited for Morrison to press the button to transport them down. Morrison quickly joined him and Mitchell before the rings descended upon them and after the distinct electric buzz, they found themselves on the planet. Albert squinted for a moment, before grabbing his sunglasses and peering around. "Do you have the coordinates the Jaffa gave Thompson?"

"Yes Sir," Emy nodded and handed him a small handheld GPS-like gizmo.

"Thank you," Albert mumbled and looked into the direction they were supposed to be heading. "I'll take point."

Cam shifted his pack, readied his P90 and followed Reynolds' lead together with Morrison.

* * *

"Sir, this is Lieutenant Hailey," Jennifer radioed as she took a last glance at her data report. Major Thompson had shown her how to pilot the alkesh and make the specific scans she needed. When that hadn't given the results she wanted, she'd pulled out some of the crystals and rearranged them, trying to optimize the reach of the scanner. But it had been to no avail and eventually they'd cloaked the vessel and hovered over some of the caverns.

_"What is it, Lieutenant?"_

"We have completed our scans and Captain Martin has contacted us, because the SGC wants to talk to you, Sir."

_"We're on our way, ETA 5 minutes. Reynolds out."_

Jennifer shrugged to the Major next to her and went to grab an energy bar. All the squinting at the data had made her hungry.

"Hailey," Ryan called out as he landed the ship, waiting for Reynolds and the rest of the temporary SG-3.

"Just grabbing something to eat, Sir," Jennifer replied, joining him again. "Hungry?"

Ryan smiled and gratefully took the power bar and flask of water she was holding out for him. "Thanks."

"No problem," she mumbled, rummaging in her pack for her own flask. "Are we still cloaked?"

Seeing her frown, he nodded wondering why she was asking. "Why?"

"Colonel Reynolds is coming back," she jerked her head towards the distant, vague figure. Fumbling with her radio, Jennifer told her CO that she'd come out to greet them and went on her way.

Ryan was waiting for them to return as he opened the door from his position.

"Are we ready to go, people?"

"Yes Sir," Ryan nodded, looked over his shoulder to make sure everyone was accounted for and hit the controls to fly them back to the gate on the neighboring planet.

* * *

"Everything okay, Captain?" Ryan knew his question sounded casual, but his men knew him better than that.

Grinning, Rick Martin nodded. "Yes Sir, nothing happened while you were gone. I babysat Bird and Lieutenant Kemper at the same time, while they were playing with their artifacts and the alkesh, respectively."

"Good to hear."

"How did the recon go, Sirs?" He asked, not sure himself if he should ask his CO – Major Ryan Thompson – or Colonel Reynolds.

"Hailey acquired some new data of the landscape and the caverns, we checked out the vicinity around the coordinates the Free Jaffa handed us and didn't run into anyone – or anything, for that matter," Albert grimaced. "It was damn hot on that planet."

"I thought the climate was similar to that of Earth?" Rick questioned, looking around at the sweaty soldiers.

"Ever hear of the Sahara?" Jennifer asked sarcastically before dumping her pack unceremoniously to the ground.

"I suggest we all go freshen up a bit, Hailey you first," Albert motioned towards the lake.

"Sir, perhaps we should check the area first?" Cameron proposed casually. He wasn't looking forward to cleaning himself up and run into some locals.

"I don't think there are any people around here," Matthew Bird said as he joined them and shrugged, looking over his shoulder to emphasize the lack of people or creatures.

Shaking his head, Albert disagreed. "No, Mitchell is right. You and Morrison go check the lake, Hailey grab your things you can freshen up first. After that, you can inform the SGC of the collected data and by the time you're finished we'll be cleaned up as well."

"Yes Sir."

Albert watched the three of them walk away and padded over to Thompson who had been moving the MALP to the gate. Yawning, he brushed the last beads of sweat from his forehead and felt a chill run down his spine; that damn temperature change was screwing with his body temperature. He couldn't wait to get into the lake and don a new set of clothes. But for now, he had to report to the SGC to let them know what they'd found. Besides, he was still a gentleman and it was an unwritten rule at the SGC that the women on the team got to change first offworld. At least, as far as he knew, he never had any women on his team with the odd exception every now and then when SG-3 would be working together with others. Plus there were so few women, mostly no more than one per team which usually meant they were done much faster than the men who would hang out rather than hurry up.

He heard the gate kawoosh and saw the blue event horizon as he came closer. His fingers tightened on his P90 and he ran the last few meters towards the gate, unsure who activated it. As he approached the field, however, he could see Thompson talking to the MALP – the connection to the SGC – and relaxed. Grumpily he walked over to the young Major and looked at the MALP. "I could've sworn I told you to wait for me," he muttered to the man, scowling, before turning to the camera. "General?"

 _"Good to hear from you, Colonel,"_  Hank Landry came through loud and clear and Albert gave him a small smile.

"Yes Sir, we just got back from the gateless planet…"

* * *

"We're getting closer, Sir," Jennifer Hailey spoke in a soft tone as they neared the caverns the next morning. At his signaling, she took up position near the entrance and checked her handheld again. The signal was definitely getting stronger.

Albert Reynolds signaled over his shoulder to the two men watching their six and took up position opposite to Hailey, waiting for the other two to join them. The heat was almost killing him, it was even hotter than yesterday – even now that it was already evening - when they'd done the recon of this planet. Hailey had mumbled something about the position of the sun, but he could care less as long as it wasn't dangerous to their health. He'd never been one to stand heat and could feel the sweat dripping over his back. Mitchell wasn't doing any better, he noticed as the Lieutenant Colonel took up position next to him, his shirt sticking to his frame.

Emy Morrison looked at his – temporary – CO and, at his nod of approval, entered the cave, the Colonel to his right, moving in sync with him. He heard the other two shuffle behind him, waiting to join them. Quickly turning the corner, he swept the area, making sure no one would surprise them. His eyes had adjusted to the dark quickly and it didn't take him long to see that it was only a small, empty alcove that they found themselves in. Releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding, he looked at Reynolds. "Sir?"

Warning him to be silent by placing a finger on his own lips, Albert waited for Mitchell and Hailey to join them before he motioned towards the small opening in the dark corner of the small room. All the soldiers tensed and moved stealthily towards the opening, their flashlights illuminating the darkness and revealing traces of  _something_  in the sand before the opening. Grimacing, Albert tried easing himself into the crack, but it was quite narrow. Obviously someone or something had gone through it, so he should be able to get into it as well. He nearly jumped as he heard a bleep and glared in the direction of the sound.

"Sorry Sir," Jennifer mumbled, punching a few keys to kill the sound. "I think we should go through, Sir."

"I know, but not now," Albert shook his head. "It's too narrow with our packs and we should be heading back, General Landry is waiting for us to check in."

"But Sir-" Cameron started, only to be cut off with a quick hand gesture.

"Not now, we're heading back to the alkesh," Albert decided, checking his watch. It was getting late and they still had to go back to the gate, to report in. Beckoning Mitchell and Morrison over, they took a closer look at the traces in the sand.

"It looks likes something went in," Emy whispered, pointing at the telltale signs. "But nothing came out, yet."

"That's what I was thinking," Albert mumbled and looked around the small alcove. "Help me out here."

Emy and Cameron immediately rushed over to his side, while Hailey observed the three men. "Perhaps you should-"

"Hailey."

Hearing her CO groan, Jennifer rolled her eyes and shut up.  _Suit yourself…_

Giving it all his strength, Albert pulled on the piece of rock while Morrison and Mitchell tried to push from the sides. He could feel little movement and took a deep breath, before pulling even harder. A crunching sound broke the silence as the rock moved a little towards him over the sand. Despite the cooler temperature of the alcove, he felt the sweat drop down his back again from the exercise and aggressively brushed his forehead clean before the droplets would cloud his vision. "Again," he ordered, scowling at the two men who were – like he himself was – panting.

Clearing her throat and tapping her foot in an impatient gesture, Jennifer made a show of checking out her nails while the men tried to move the stone. Of course she realized what they were doing; the stone would be placed in front of the small opening, making sure whatever was in there would still be there when they returned. Her equipment had indicated that was where they were supposed to go, but the Colonel was right. They'd had a long day, checking out all the caverns and she was sure they'd crossed at least a quarter of the planet. Plus their packs held superfluous material, at least now that they knew where to look, and they couldn't simply leave it here in case they needed supplies or a medical kit. It would do no good to clean out half of their packs and they could certainly need a shower – or a dive in the lake – and a good night's rest, before facing whatever was in there.

"What?"

The bark of her CO brought her out of her musing, her head snapped up. "Sir?"

Letting out a deep sigh, Albert Reynolds straightened and turned towards her. "Is there something you want to say, Lieutenant?"

"Not really Sir," she mumbled. Looking at the stone – that had barely moved two inches – she scrunched up her nose. "I just thought that perhaps we could use that," she pointed at one of the long, thick branches near the entrance of the alcove, "as a lever and force the rock away from the wall. After that, someone could crawl behind it and push from there."

"Right," he huffed, berating himself for not letting her finish and torturing himself – and his men – to try and pull the rock away with his arms. His muscles were already protesting and he quickly walked to the branch, lifted it with Hailey's help and used it as she'd suggested. Together they easily moved the rock and he told her to crawl behind it, while the men pushed from the sides. The big, round boulder rolled after their combined force and covered most of the small crack in the wall.

"There," Albert wiped his hands clean and tried to catch his breath. "Good job, people."

"Yes Sir," they replied, all pretty worn out.

Rolling his shoulders, Albert grabbed his P90 from where it was resting in its strap and nodded towards the daylight. "Let's get going."

* * *

 _"Sir,"_  Reynolds' face greeted Hank Landry through the connection with the MALP on the other side of the gate – the other side of the galaxy, actually.

"Colonel, good to see you," Hank chuckled at the grimace the younger man made. He had a slight sunburn, probably from traipsing around a bloody hot planet all day – or so he was told by Dr. Lee. Not that there was any danger from the sun or its natural UV radiation, but the temperature was higher than they were used to.

_"Yes Sir, we just got back."_

"I assumed as much," he nodded, Reynolds would always take care of business first. "What did you find?"

_"We've crossed quite a distance and finally Hailey's gizmo indicated that was the right place. It was getting dark already – not any cooler though – and we walked into, what we thought at first was a small, empty alcove. However, there appeared to be a small opening in the back wall, but it was very narrow. I couldn't squeeze myself into it with my pack. Considering the time and our check in, I decided to head back. There were indications that something or someone had entered the crack, though and we covered most of the opening with a big boulder before we took off."_

"Good thinking, Colonel," Hank complimented him. He'd offered the man the position left by Colonel Carter over a year ago, when she'd gone to Nevada, to lead the flagship team but Reynolds had declined, saying he may be AF but would stick with his own unit rather than becoming SG-1. "Doctor Lee said you still have a week before a heat wave hits the planet, so I suggest you go back tomorrow, secure the area, set a trap and find the clone."

_"Yes Sir."_

"Good, check back in fifteen hours. Landry out." He signaled to Walter to kill the connection and walked back up to his office, ready to resume working on the mountain of paperwork.

* * *

"That was good work yesterday," Albert said, more to himself than the others. However, when he looked up from his cup of coffee he noticed his motley crew looking at him. "I had my doubts in the beginning," he shrugged casually.

"Glad you approve, Sir," Jennifer Hailey replied, fighting back her smug smile. Of course she'd known he'd be satisfied with her work, she was very good at what she did after all. But even she had had her doubts about working with another lieutenant, a lieutenant colonel who was greener than herself and an AF colonel who was used to commanding jarheads. However, after a rusty start they'd gotten along much better yesterday.

Smiling, Cameron nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Sir."

"It's a nice change from Atlantis, Sir," Emy Morrison chimed in before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Well," Albert raised himself from the floor and got to his feet. "I don't know about you guys, but I can't wait to get this mission over with – I've seen more sun than I need. If I stay out there much longer, I'm sure my wife will think I went to the Bahamas."

Cameron chuckled at his remark and got up as well. "Yes Sir, we're also almost out of sun block."

"Great," he sighed. "Well, I suggest we get our stuff and only pack the necessary things – no extra equipment, Hailey."

"No Sir, I'll only grab my-"

"Yeah, whatever," he made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Nothing larger than the palm of your hand, Lieutenant."

"Yes Sir," she rolled her eyes, annoyed that he wouldn't let her finish. As if she didn't know what necessary meant!

Albert nodded before turning his glare to Morrison. "And lose that, will you."

"Yes Sir," Emy shook his head, smiling as he removed his iPod and put it back with the rest of the things that would stay near the gate. "Hailey, did you leave that branch near the boulder?"

Nodding, Jennifer got up, wiped the sand of her hands and moved towards her tent. "Yep."

"Good, 'cause we're going to need it to remove that damn rock."

"Don't get me started," she complained, still feeling the strain in her shoulders from all the pushing.

Making sure only the necessary things – spare outfit, rope, medical kit, MREs, sun block, spare water canteen, extra flashlight and batteries, toiletries – were in his own medium sized pack, Albert got up and made his way to the alkesh. "We're taking our medium packs, people."

FRED had been equipped with the extra bags, just in case. And they didn't need to carry a lot of things, so the medium sized would do. Their tents, sleeping bags, tarps and ponchos weren't needed and could be left with Thompson and his men.

"Yes Sir," Jennifer replied from inside the alkesh, already packed and ready to go. "I'm ready when you are, Sir."

"Good," he frowned and plopped down into the pilot chair as he dumped his pack next to him. Reaching down, he grabbed a bottle of water and an aspirin. He knew he needed it; being around chatty Mitchell and know-it-all Hailey was bringing out the worst in him, despite the fact that his – temporary – team was working together quite nicely. Closing his eyes for a moment, he enjoyed the quiet until Hailey started muttering about something. "What?"

"Nothing Sir, I was just wondering where the others were."

Nodding, Albert agreed. "You and me both." He fumbled for his radio. "Mitchell, Morrison what's keeping you? If we go now, we'll get to the planet before the sun is at its highest."

"Sorry Sir," Cameron apologized as they entered the small space ship, pointing at his radio. "We're ready."

"Great, let's get going," he said and suited the action to the word as the alkesh took off. "You have everything needed for the trap?"

Jennifer nodded an affirmative and started rummaging through her pack when one of the lights on the controls started bleeping, before moving to the back with her handheld computer. "I'll be right back, Sir. Just going to check on the engines."

"Mitchell, you and Morrison will take the lead in the cavern with Hailey in tow, while I watch your six," Albert started summing up. "We need her to check her equipment to let us know where to go. Those gizmos have improved over the years and are far more sensitive now, which means our target might not be very close to the entrance. That would also explain why he didn't show up when we were there yesterday."

"Yes Sir," Cam nodded, having heard the plan from Morrison while they were packing up. It was why they were late. Cameron had been doing a perimeter check with Lieutenant Kemper and Major Thompson last night, to stretch his aching muscles – he wasn't used to walking so much or to moving boulders around – and when he'd gotten back his team had gone to sleep. When he started packing, Morrison had informed him they'd gone over the plan last night and he felt like kicking himself. "Morrison already informed me while we were packing up, Sir."

"Good, that way I don't have to repeat everything," Albert replied, leaning back in his seat as the alkesh was taking them closer to the planet. Closer to grabbing the snakehead and finally going home to check on his men – the real SG-3 – and enjoy his own, very much deserved downtime. Especially after this mission…

"I checked the engines and rerouted power from the cargo bay, since we aren't using that at the moment," Jennifer said as she joined them on the bridge.

"Good work," Albert commented, ready to land the alkesh near the cavern they had explored the other day. "And here we are."

As the alkesh touched the ground, everyone grabbed their pack and headed out into the burning sun. They'd all prepared with lots of sun block on P3B-645, making sure they would be protected when they got off the alkesh.

"Let's head out."

Emy followed his CO and a glance over his shoulder assured him that the other two did the same. Stepping out was almost like walking into a wall of heat, like something hit him in the head instead of walking outside to enjoy the fresh air. Yeah, he definitely missed Atlantis at this point! His shades protected his eyes only barely from the blazing sun and he was glad Reynolds picked up the pace, probably anxious to get to the cooler caverns as well.

They cautiously entered in the same way they had done the day before, making sure the coast was clear. The boulder was still in the same position and by the looks of it no one had even attempted to move the thing. Then again, if there was only one person – Ba'al or one of his clones – on the other end of that narrow opening, it probably wouldn't have moved if they had tried.

As planned, Cameron Mitchell and Emy Morrison walked up to the boulder and, using the branch and his E-tool respectively, Jennifer Hailey and Albert Reynolds used a lever to bring it in motion. As soon as the rock started moving, Hailey and Reynolds jumped back, readying their P90 and taking position near the opening in case anyone was waiting on the other side.

Fortunately for them, there was no one. When the rock was entirely removed, Mitchell and Morrison rolled their shoulders, grabbed hold of their weapons and squeezed themselves in the opening. No one said a word, knowing how much noise the removal of the boulder had probably already caused they didn't want to rouse anyone's suspicion more. Their breathing and bodies, clothing and packs grating against the walls of the cavern the only sounds in the vicinity.

Albert immediately recognized the sound of the safety being removed from a weapon and stretching his tall frame, he could see Mitchell reaching the end and stepping out of the crack over Morrison's head. Hailey didn't appear to have any trouble with squeezing her tiny body behind him and at the moment he almost envied her, for he was already covered in bruises. As soon as Morrison stepped out, the sound repeated and with a few more steps – and bumps in his back – even Albert reached the other end. He was intrigued with the bright light that seemed to come from an opening in the cavern at least 30 meters above their heads, but he didn't let his guard down and did a sweep of the area with his P90, before waiting for Hailey. Turning, he saw her almost strolling casually through the crack before joining them. He gritted his teeth in annoyance – it was the heat – and rubbed his back, hoping the motion would diminish the already forming bruises.

"Sir?" Jennifer looked around at the three men in front of her, before checking the bleeping gizmo in her hand. "That way, Sir."

"Morrison, Mitchell."

They both reacted and started walking in the direction the young lieutenant had pointed out. Their weapons ready for any movement, they switched off their flashlights for the daylight coming from the 'roof' was bright enough. It was almost as if they were walking through the mountains or a canyon perhaps, but as they went deeper into the cavern they were quickly reminded of their true whereabouts.

After walking another half hour, Albert was getting bored and took point, leaving Mitchell behind him, Hailey after that and Morrison was watching their six. As he carefully rounded the corner – weapon raised – he held up his hand in a fist, telling them to stop. He couldn't quite pinpoint the sound he was hearing, but he was sure it wasn't supposed to be inside a cavern. Taking several steps, he signaled his men to follow him and do a sweep of the open space they found themselves in. It was darker and the air was getting cooler, they already turned on their flashlights again. He almost jumped when he felt a small hand on his arm and turned on his heels to see Hailey look at him intently. 'What?' he mouthed, raising his brows.

Jennifer pointed at her readings, before showing him the direction they would find their target. Her CO nodded and she followed the three men towards the source, P90 resting in her hands while her handheld was stuffed in her pocket. Her breathing quickened with every step they took until she realized she heard…  _water?_  Turning to Reynolds, she silently asked him if he was hearing the same thing and realized that was why he'd stopped them before turning the corner. She nearly had a heart attack when a loud sound came from her pocket and quickly pulled the gizmo from her pants and looked at it. Her readings confirmed it; the source emitting the element was right around the corner. Although it wasn't a very strong signal, Jennifer had adjusted the sensitivity two days ago after learning that they would never find him if she kept searching for a stronger signal. She couldn't explain why the signal was much lower, perhaps because it was a clone of Ba'al they would run into in a few minutes? Or maybe he was wounded, would that account for her readings? She concluded he  _had_  to be wounded or else someone like Ba'al – clone or not – would never hide in a cavern on a planet like this. No, from what she knew of the Goa'uld they needed people to serve and worship them.

"Put it away," Albert whispered, pointing at the handheld and signaling the other two men to get into position. They had discussed the plan and considering Hailey was positive they were very close, they set up a perimeter plus a trap behind them, in case the slimy snake could get passed them.

After working for forty minutes in silence, setting everything up as quiet as possible Albert Reynolds looked up. "Ready?"

Three heads bobbed enthusiastically, ready to kick some Goa'uld butt and took position on both sides of the passage.

Taking a deep breath, Albert joined them and together with Morrison took point, guns pointed out in front of them. The closer they got the more sound they heard. It was definitely human _like_ , slow murmuring or mumbling, nothing they could understand though. Only one voice, for as far it could be called that. It was low and unclear, nothing anyone could recognize as a real voice. But it was there. He felt his heart sped up and tightened his grip on his P90, ready to defend himself and his motley crew. What he saw was nothing anyone could have prepared him for, though…


	3. The Clone

"Jack?"

Hearing the hesitant, yet familiar feminine voice behind him, Jack turned around. "Sara," he greeted her, plastering a smile on his face. "What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

Sara smiled and shook her head. "I was about to ask you the same thing, Jack," she replied. After arriving, Dick – her husband – had introduced her to his colleagues and some friends and she'd startled, thinking she saw Jack on the other side of the room but after a minute someone was blocking her view. Half an hour later, she was certain it was Jack, she'd recognize his posture anywhere after being married to him for so long, after sharing what they'd shared. She'd told Dick and, although slightly uncomfortable he had suggested they go over and say hello. However, as they'd been making their way over to him another man had joined him and they started arguing softly. Before she could decide whether to proceed, the two men had taken off to the restricted area. After a while he had returned and went straight to the bar to get a drink and stood by a window close by. She had decided to approach him. "I thought you hated Washington."

"I do," Jack grimaced, "had no choice, though."

"Orders?" She asked, understanding. It should come as no surprise to her, their entire marriage had been filled with orders from his superiors.

Shrugging, Jack took a sip of his drink. "Yeah."

A silent descended upon them and neither knew exactly what to say. It had been eight years since they'd last seen each other, when the duplicate O'Neill had come to her and they got to see 'Charlie' again.

Not quite comfortable, yet not awkward Sara shifted on her feet, trying to think of something to say to him. He looked older somehow, and while Sara realized it was only natural for him to age over the years he looked worn and haggard, older than his years and yet he was still very handsome. While he was wearing his cap, she'd seen his silver hair before he and the other man had taken off and it had only added to his charm, she mused. It was clear that something was bothering him, but she wasn't ready to let him be, yet. Lowering her gaze, she noticed he looked slightly thinner than she remembered. It was only then that she realized the stars on his uniform. "Oh my, you're a general?"

"Yeah," he huffed, scrubbing a hand over his face.

"I would've thought you wouldn't let yourself be ordered around now that you're 'the Man,'" she joked, smiling at him.

Despite his dark mood, Jack quirked the corners of his mouth at her lame attempt to cheer him up. "Tell that to the President."

"If I get to meet him, I will." Unsure what to make of his facial expression and whether to take his response serious, Sara cocked her head to the side.

"So," Jack started, giving her a quick onceover. "You look good, what are you doing here with all those stuffed politicians?"

"I, ah…" she bit her lip, glancing over her shoulder. "I tried calling you a while ago."

Surprised at her retort, Jack simply raised his brow, urging her to continue.

"I remarried," she explained, "to one of those politicians."

"Oh," he mumbled. "Well, congratulations I guess."

"Thanks."

"Anyone I know?"

Sara shrugged, looking around the room. "I doubt it… he'd like to meet you, though."

Taking a deep breath, Jack nodded.  _It's not like this day can get any worse, what's another politician?_ "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Not answering the phone?"

"Oh," she smiled, "well, it said your number was disconnected." Laying her hand on his arm, she took him over to her husband. "It must have been about two years ago," Sara mused aloud, thinking back to her wedding.

Understanding dawning on him, Jack simply nodded while he followed her. Sounded like he'd been in a pod in stasis at the time. Thanks to SG-1 and their protests his house hadn't been sold, but they'd disconnected his phone and everything because no one knew when he'd get back – if he even could. "Ah," he mumbled.

"Dick, I'd like to introduce you two," Sara told her husband as he smiled at her, jerking her head towards Jack.

"Nice to meet you," Dick said with a brave smile. He wasn't sure how to act towards his wife's first husband, knowing she still cared about him. Sometimes he wondered if she would've remained married to O'Neill if their son hadn't died. "Dick Kozak."

"Ah, Senator Kozak," Jack replied, remembering he'd heard the name before. He quickly checked the list in his head but came to the conclusion this Senator wasn't in the know about the SGC or Homeworld Security. "Jack O'Neill."

"Sara didn't mention you were a two-star general," he replied uncomfortably. All of a sudden, he remembered hearing some of his colleagues complaining or gossiping about a certain General O'Neill, but had never made the connection.

Squeezing his arm encouragingly, Sara smiled apologetically towards her husband. "I didn't know, last time we had contact he was still a mere colonel."

"So," Jack tried, wondering what he was still doing here, while all he wanted was to go home… well, there was something else he wanted more than that, but–

"Jack," Daniel walked up to him, having finally found him after he'd stormed out of the meeting with the President and the JCS. "I've been looking all over for you."

Groaning, Jack rolled his eyes. "Daniel-"

"You can't just storm off like that," he scolded him.

"–I'm not in the mood," Jack finished, ignoring his interruption.

Feeling like an intruder, Sara tried not to pay too much attention and could see her husband trying to take a step back as well. However, she felt her jaw drop at the younger man's reply.

Rolling his eyes, Daniel sighed. "Yes, you made that quite clear when you blew up at the President and the JCS."

"I warned him," Jack groaned.

"Jack," Daniel tried, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know this is hard to accept, but maybe-"

"For crying out loud, Daniel," he glared at him and shrugged his hand off him. "I  _refuse_ to accept that crap and I can't believe you're okay with this."

"It has been weeks, Jack, months," he stated softly, running a hand through his hair before pushing up his glasses. He didn't want this either, but he knew they couldn't keep bending the rules and with every passing week he felt the weight on his shoulders increase and the cold hand around his heart grow tighter.

Clenching his jaw and fists, Jack shook his head. "No," he almost hissed, not wanting others to overhear.

"Jack," Daniel gave him a sympathizing look.

"God damn it," he cursed, glowering at his friend. "Carter is not dead, Daniel!"

"If there was any chance to get back, Sam would have found it and we wouldn't be in this situation." Wanting to avoid causing a scene, Daniel grabbed his arm and pulled him into a quiet corner. "Jack, she's been gone for  _months_. You've already used all your influence to keep them from changing her status to MIA for the first few weeks, it was only a matter of time before they changed it to KIA," he whispered resentfully. His logical, scientific mind knew that there was nothing they could do to keep them from giving up on Sam, but his heart didn't want to hear it. They – Teal'c, Jack, Hammond and even the President himself – had all tried but it had been over six months already without a word from her.

"Daniel-"

"Jack, she-"

Holding up his hand, Jack interrupted him. "She ain't dead until I see a body."

"We might not," Daniel stammered a bit, shifting on his feet uncomfortably. "You know Ba'al…"

"Yes, I  _know_ ," he huffed when the other man's voice trailed off. "He also has this nifty little thing called a sarcophagus, Daniel," Jack winced as memories of his own experiences came to his mind's eye. He wouldn't wish it upon his worst enemy – Goa'uld excluded – and definitely didn't want Sam to go through anything like that, but he simply couldn't accept the fact that she was gone.  _I would know_ , he thought,  _I would know if something happened…_ He had known the moment she'd disappeared, it had been a strange realization but he simply knew something was wrong and then Daniel and Teal'c had shown up… without Sam.

Watching Jack, Daniel knew what he was thinking about. He too wanted to believe that Sam was still alive, but all they had to go on was a cocky statement from one of the Ba'al clones they had captured. Jack had been furious to find out that Ba'al was behind Sam's disappearance and after a thorough interrogation – it had been behind closed doors, Daniel didn't know exactly what Jack had been doing and wasn't sure if he wanted to know what had been going on for several days – they had finally learned that the real Ba'al had abducted Sam. However, logically Daniel couldn't imagine Sam still being alive after not having heard  _anything_  from or about her from  _any one_  of their allies. "Jack, we can't simply assume all of this just because we want her to be alive and okay," he tried.

"Oh, but we  _can_  assume she is dead and bury an empty casket? I don't want a god damned ceremony, military honors or some memorial service! If she was dead, Ba'al would have made sure we knew," Jack concluded, knowing the slimy snake would do about anything to make Jack suffer, to torture him. The clone they had captured months ago had simply confirmed that theory and – after the Zatarc test he'd undergone – his words had been verified. Jack had been very close to inflicting some serious bodily harm upon the clone, when the President and the damned Tok'ra had stepped in, saying that the Goa'uld needed to be removed from the host. Hayes had ordered him to let the clone go – technically he'd already gone way too far, but Jack could care less when Sam's life was at stake – and of course, those lousy Tok'ra had  _lost_  the clone. Secretly, Jack was hoping that whatever Reynolds' team was after today would be that same clone…

"There is nothing we can do," Daniel mumbled, shaking his head. They had tried to find her for days, weeks even. But the weeks had turned into more weeks, turning into months and that was when it was decided that she was MIA and there would be no more search and rescue missions for Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, PhD. Officially, that is. Unofficially Landry had allowed them to keep their eyes and ears open and every now and then they would check with their allies. Daniel himself had wanted to go to Atlantis, but Sam's disappearance had stopped him, he'd wanted to be part of the teams trying to find her. Instead, they were no closer to finding her than the day the clone had admitted Ba'al had been the one behind it. Teal'c on the other hand was needed by the Free Jaffa and had left the SGC to join his people, to rebuild the Jaffa Nation. Next to that, he'd appointed himself to lead the armies that were hunting the last of the Goa'uld, Ba'al in particular, trying to find Sam. Jack had wanted to retire, Daniel knew, but the only reason he hadn't was because this way he still had some influence and was kept in the loop… they hadn't allowed him to search for Sam himself, the President had denied him to go off world, knowing what Jack was capable of. "The President had hinted this was going to happen the last time, Jack," he referred to their last meeting over a month ago.

Knocking back his drink, Jack slammed the glass down at the table, not wanting to admit Daniel was right; he had known. But he'd been hoping they'd learn more, that they would find her!

Daniel automatically took a step back as Jack expressed his anger by slamming the glass down, but thankfully it didn't break. No thanks to Jack, though, seeing his white knuckles were still threatening to break the glass with his tight grip. Suddenly, he understood. "Oh Jack," he almost gasped and took a tentative step forwards, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm sorry," he muttered, knowing it was no consolation. The President and the JCS had said there would be a ceremony by the end of the month, before there would be too much snow and the holidays – Thanksgiving, Christmas – would interfere. Thanksgiving last year was when Jack had left the SGC for his promotion to major general and to take command of Homeworld Security in January and Sam had been on downtime before her transfer to Nevada would come through. It also happened to be the first night the regs were non-existent while both were awaiting assignments and technically weren't in the same chain of command. The first time they had acted upon their feelings now that Pete, Kerry and the frat regs were gone. But most important, it had been the night Jack had proposed to Sam – moreover, the night she had accepted to become his wife. They'd married soon after, a week before Christmas, before they both had to start their new assignment and Sam would fall under Jack's chain of command again.

"So am I, Danny boy, so am I," Jack sighed, trying to calm down. It wasn't fair, their one-year anniversary – the beginning of their relationship, as well as their marriage three weeks later – was coming up and of that year Sam had been missing for almost eight months now. Fate was definitely cruel…

Doubting, Daniel simply stood there waiting for Jack to rein in his anger and helplessness, before hauling him back to the meeting. The President and the JCS had explicitly stated that Daniel was to go find Jack and bring him back, so they could resume their conversation. He was pretty sure Jack wouldn't want to listen and had tried telling them, but they had insisted. They were all upset and worried about Sam, but of course Jack, Daniel and Teal'c most of all. Still, it wouldn't do Jack any good to insult his superior officers and his commander in chief – again. Thankfully, Henry Hayes was sympathizing and knew what Jack was going through, so he had let him rant after his proposition, but the man's patience would only go so far. Besides, Jack was still working – his retirement papers probably would be rejected like all the previous times he'd tried and wanting to be kept in the loop this time, Jack hadn't tried – so he couldn't get too carried away. "Do you need another drink before we go back in…?"

"Nah," Jack shook his head and straightened. This wasn't helping matters; it wasn't as if he could stall it by ignoring the President and the JCS. Turning back to the restricted area, he caught Sara's worried glance – he'd totally forgotten about her. "Give me a minute, Space Monkey," he said, motioning towards Sara and… her husband, of whom he'd forgotten the name already.  _Dick the politician?_  Shrugging to his own thoughts, he made his way over to the couple. "Sorry about that," he mumbled, his face blank.

"Ah, Jack," Daniel tapped him on the shoulder. "Are you going to introduce us?"

"Right," he grimaced, rolling his eyes at Sara. "Remember when you came back from, eh…  _abroad_ , all those years ago and wanted to meet my now-ex-wife?"

Frowning, Daniel pushed up his glasses. "Yes…?"

"Doctor Daniel Jackson, meet Sara and her husband…"

"Dick Kozak," Dick added, reaching out his hand. "A pleasure, Doctor Jackson."

"You look vaguely familiar," Sara said, smiling at him with a question in her eyes.

Shaking both their hands, Daniel nodded. "Yeah, we 'met' once years ago – it was more like being in the same room," he explained, referring to the incident with crystal Jack and Charlie.

"Aha," she smiled. "You're a friend of Jack's?"

"Yes, we met a little while after, eh… Charlie," he said somewhat uncomfortable, not wanting to intentionally hurt them with the memory of the boy's death.

"I see. Well, while it is nice to meet you," she replied, a bit hesitant, "I was wondering if everything is okay?"

"Fine," Jack groaned, not wanting to elaborate. "I should probably get back in there," he jerked his head towards the hallway.

"I couldn't help but overhear your argument," Sara continued, blushing slightly as she stopped him with her hand on his arm. "Is Carter someone from under your command?"

Squeezing her hand before brushing it off his arm, Jack shrugged. "You could say that," he replied through gritted teeth. "It's good to see you're happy, Sara. I have to get back."

Giving him a sympathizing squeeze before he released her hand, Sara watched his retreating back. She still cared for him, he had been her first love and she liked to think that they were great together before Charlie had died… After years of marriage she knew how upset he'd get losing one of his own and she felt for him, knowing he still had to deal with such losses after everything he'd gone through. Hearing him curse like that when he'd denied that this Carter was dead had shocked her somewhat; Jack usually didn't  _really_ curse, nor would he deny such a thing easily. After all, he was military and knew what was at stake and had seen his fair share on the field… Glancing at Daniel Jackson, she gave him a nervous smile. "He's really upset about this, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Daniel sighed, wanting to go after Jack, but the way he'd stalked off told him he was still upset. It would be better to let him walk it off and then follow, he mused. "We all are."

"You must care about each other a lot," Dick mentioned, nodding.

"I thought something was wrong, he looked so tired," Sara said cautiously. "I guess you're right," she looked at her husband. "To have to accept that they're MIA or even declared dead," she shuddered as she tried to imagine.

Rocking on his feet, Daniel grimaced. "Yeah, it's very difficult, I still expect her to come through the door any minute whenever I'm working," he stated softly, feeling a pang thinking about Sam. "I should join Jack."

"Her?" Sara questioned without thinking. Realizing what she'd said, she quickly continued. "They must have been good friends…"

Turning, Daniel looked at her, contemplating what to say. "Yes, very good friends," he hesitated, not feeling it was his place to tell her. Then again, she'd remarried and obviously moved on. "Plus, she's his wife."

Gasping, Sara placed her hand in front of her mouth, shocked. "What?"

"They got married last year," he shrugged. "She's been missing for over seven months now…" Letting out a deep breath, he gave them an apologizing look. "I'm sorry, I really should get going. It was nice meeting you, enjoy yourselves," he made a hand gesture encompassing the room with other military people, politicians, good and music.

Still dumbfounded Sara simply nodded, thinking of what the young doctor had told them. Her heart went out to Jack, knowing how much he hurt after losing Charlie she had never thought he'd remarry and then to lose his wife…

* * *

The first thing Albert saw was some kind of waterfall, dominating the south wall. It wasn't huge, more like a small stream cascading down the wall. Looking up, Albert Reynolds wondered where the water was coming from. It appeared to come from an opening in the ceiling of the cavern, but he couldn't remember seeing a source for it when they were on the surface of the planet. Besides, he couldn't imagine any water source withstanding such intense sunlight. He tore his gaze from the waterfall and looked around the large chamber. Sunlight was coming from several openings and since there was no need for their flashlights, they all killed them.

Unlike what they had expected to find, there didn't seem to be a threat in the spacious chamber. Whatever the source of Hailey's readings was, it didn't seem to be connected to Ba'al at all! The team all directed their weapons towards the west when they heard more human _like_  sounds like they had before entering the chamber.

Cautiously, Colonel Reynolds started to move towards it, the source of the sound blocked from view by a few columns. He signaled his team to follow; Hailey and Mitchell from the left and him and Morrison from the right. They circled around the pillars and what he saw there, nearly made him jump. Lowering his gun, he cautiously kneeled down to the shaking form on the floor. Keeping one eye on the brown clad person, he threw a glance over his shoulder, making sure Morrison was still watching his six in case it was a trap. Within seconds, Hailey and Mitchell had their P90s trained on the person as well.

Crouching closer, Albert was about to reach out his hand, when Hailey stopped him.

"Sir?"

"Lieutenant?" He asked in a soft voice, not wanting to disturb or startle the almost-lifeless person on the floor.

Clearing her throat, Jennifer threw a last glance at her handheld. "The readings indicate this, er…  _person_  is the source of naquadah traces."

Swallowing, Albert nodded and reached out to gingerly touch what he thought was the shoulder of the person and roll them over. Hesitating for a moment, he pulled down the hood of the brown robe and his breath hitched as he thought to recognize the face. His hand brushed the long hairs out of the woman's face and he gasped loudly. "It's Colonel Carter," he whispered, after regaining his voice.

"Are you sure, Sir?" Mitchell asked, frowning. He knew – hell, the entire SGC knew – that Colonel Carter had gone missing  _months_  ago and although most held out hope, everyone was pretty sure she was lost forever. He had never met her in person and all he could see from where he was standing, was a brown-clad person lying on the floor.

"Of course I am," Albert barked, immediately checking for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there. "Morrison and Mitchell, check the rest of this chamber. Make sure there is no one else present and keep an eye out for hidden exits or entrances."

"Yes Sir," they spoke in chorus, both heading off to do as they were told.

Seeing there was no danger at the moment, considering the Colonel wasn't conscious, Jennifer Hailey leaned down as well. She scooted over to check for herself if it was really Samantha Carter – Reynolds had been blocking her view of the prone figure – and was shocked to see the pale face of the woman who had convinced her to follow through with the academy, who had given her a new purpose. "Is she…?"

"Alive," Albert replied. "But barely, her pulse is very weak and I don't think she's actually sleeping." He tried waking her up, but there was no response, only some more murmuring. Trying to think of what could have happened to her and what he should do, he gently lowered her head to the floor.

"We probably shouldn't move her; we don't know what is wrong with her. Sir," Jennifer added as her mind was racing a mile a minute.

Nodding, he grabbed his radio. "Mitchell, Morrison, report."

Other than static, there was no response.

Scrunching up her nose, Jennifer broke the silence after two minutes. "I think the structure of the cave is interfering with the signal, Sir."

"Yeah," he grimaced and sat down on the floor, glancing at Colonel Carter next to him. By the way she was moving, it appeared as if she was dreaming but it seemed impossible to wake her. His eyes did a quick onceover and, not seeing any blood, he scooted closer. "We need to contact the SGC, get a medical team out here before we move her."

"Yes Sir," Jennifer agreed. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed the other two men returning. "And?"

"Nothing, there is no one here except us," Emy informed them.

"Mitchell," Albert looked at the other man. "You and Morrison go back to P3B-645 in the alkesh, Hailey and I will stay here with the Colonel. Dial Earth, inform General Landry and get a med team here. Morrison, you will ask Thompson and his men if any of them has had medical training and if so, you will take the alkesh back here immediately. Apparently, our radios don't work down here – I tried contacting you but the walls are interfering with the signal – so just get here as fast as you can."

"Yes Sir," Cameron nodded, after sharing a look with Lieutenant Morrison. "We will get back as soon as we can."

* * *

Jack sighed as he opened the door to his office and plopped down in his chair. His eyes immediately went to the picture of Sam and him on his desk, taken at the cabin after their wedding. The President and JCS had insisted on the ceremony, knowing there was a good chance they would never recover Sam's body. With Ba'al being behind the abduction she could be anywhere. He was the last of the System Lords, the rest had all been killed by their own, the Free Jaffa or even the Tok'ra. There was no telling how many hideouts he had, especially not after they hadn't even been able to locate him when he'd been hiding out on Earth. Now his clones were traipsing around the galaxy, making it even harder to find the real Ba'al.

Grabbing the frame, Jack traced Sam's smiling face. He knew they were right, there was a good chance she was gone forever, but something inside of him refused to believe that.  _I would know_ , he kept telling himself. If Sam had died, he would know somehow. He had known when she'd gone missing, he had known Charlie had died when they were still performing surgery on him, he had always known when something awful had happened. His gut was telling him that Sam was still alive, that she would fight. She wouldn't give into that megalomaniac without a fight.  _Then again,_  a little voice in his head reminded him _, Ba'al knew how to torture you into wanting to die_  – without being revived with a sarcophagus. Closing his eyes, he placed the frame back and tried to fight off the memory of what the Ba'al clone had told him when he'd interrogated him.

He forced himself to think of the paperwork on his desk. Ever since Sam had disappeared, he hardly went home. He couldn't stand the house without being her there – which was ridiculous in a way, because even when they'd been married she'd hardly lived in their house in DC. Instead, he stayed in his office and did paperwork. Anything to take his mind off the cruelness fate seemed determined to dish out to him. He would do his usual paperwork, contact the NID to see if they had any information, call the SGC or Daniel.

A rueful smile crossed his face when he leaned back in his chair and the seat reclined in a comfortable position. The last time he had seen Sam she had been sent to Washington to help the NID track Ba'al's clones and surprised him with a visit in the office. He'd had no idea she was coming to DC and she hadn't told him, wanting it to be a surprise. And a surprise it had been, after being apart for three weeks – her caught up in Nevada while being sent to the SGC on occasion as well and he seemed to be living in the Pentagon, living a life filled with boring meetings – to see her gorgeous smile again. She'd walked up to him, smiling that megawatt smile he loved, and he'd been too stunned with her sudden presence that he just kept sitting there, staring at her. His lovely wife had taken full advantage of that, leaning down to give him a kiss that made him dizzy with need for oxygen – and a desire for more, much more… Giggling, Sam had pushed him back in the chair and climbed on his lap, effectively straddling him and had shown him  _exactly_  how much she loved him and how she'd missed him.  _Yeah, this chair has seen quite a few things…_

He turned somber again, thinking back to that day. After making love to him in the chair, he had simply held her, enjoying the feel of her in his arms. They had been quite content, just sitting in his chair, both partly undressed until her cell phone started ringing and they had to get back to reality again. She'd answered – Malcolm Barrett – and had to leave. Sharing a long, lingering kiss, they had finally parted. She'd surprised him again that night, when he'd gotten back from a boring meeting and she was sitting on the couch in their house in DC. It was their house, but he mostly lived in it. She could only visit on the weekends and sometimes he would visit her in Nevada. They even went to Colorado Springs sometimes, meeting up with Daniel and Teal'c. Their honeymoon had been spent in the cabin in Minnesota and Sam had loved it there. As had he… They never got the chance to get back to the cabin, because almost two weeks after she came to DC she'd disappeared while commanding a team pursuing Ba'al – or one of his clones, they couldn't tell – together with the NID.  _With that lousy Malcolm Barrett_ , Jack thought, clenching his fists. Of course Sam's team had been the one to capture him – when was the NID ever successful on their own? – and the NID had wanted their piece of him as well, after they had transported the prisoner to the SGC. Barrett had informed the Senate Oversight Committee and they had pressured the President into letting them have a go with the bastard. Jack and the SGC had insisted it wouldn't be a good idea to transport the Ba'al, but the NID had insisted, asking for Sam to install their headquarters with anti-beaming technology to prevent the prisoner from escaping…

She'd gone missing right under their noses and the NID hadn't even noticed anything wrong! He hated them, he really did. Jack had never liked them to begin with, although Barrett seemed to be one of the good guys – despite having an interest in Carter – but after what happened he really hated them…. Especially after SG-3 and -5 – plus Daniel and Teal'c – had captured a clone of Ba'al and Jack had taken – he'd pulled rank – the privilege of interrogating the bastard.

His hands started shaking with anger, thinking back to the interrogation. In the end, the clone had smugly informed him that Sam had been taken by the real Ba'al – thanks to the Trust – and that she would never be back. Jack had hit him, hard – breaking his nose amongst other things – and demanded to know what Ba'al wanted with her. The bastard had laughed at him, while clutching his nose. Jack let out a groan as the memory of that interrogation forced itself on him.

_The clone looked at him, smiling and a strangled sound – what could have been sardonic laughter had he not been whining and clutching his nose – came from his lips. "Isn't it obvious, O'Neill?"_

_Jack simply glowered at him, warning him with his eyes to keep talking or he would do more than simply punch him in the face._

_"She is very lovely," the snake had continued, smirking when he noticed Jack's reaction to that. "Very, very lovely."_

_Clenching his jaw, Jack spoke through gritted teeth. "Keep going."_

_"For a Tau'ri, she's relatively intelligent, especially for a female," he grimaced, his own words clearly distasteful to him. "She knows everything about Earth and its defenses," he chuckled. "Not to mention her knowledge of those pesky Tok'ra."_

_"You want to torture her?" Jack gulped at the image his words conjured. "She won't tell you, she'd ra-" he stopped himself, not wanting to think about that option._

_"Rather die," the clone finished anyway, smiling. "You of all people know I can be quite successful with several techniques…"_

_His smug tone made Jack want to kick him, especially knowing he was right. "Unfortunately for you you're stuck here, aren't ya?"_

_He laughed, throwing his head back. "Don't worry about that, I'll find a way out. You Tau'ri are foolish if you think you can keep me here."_

_"I don't know about that," Jack leaned back, forcing himself to look casual. "Looks like the real Bocce doesn't care much for you."_

_Shrugging, the clone leaned back too, imitating Jack's posture. "We'll see."_

_"You really think he's going to save you?" Jack snorted and shook his head. "Even if he would try, it wouldn't work."_

_Slamming the table with his fist, the clone glared at him. "Of course it will work. How dare you doubt me?"_

_"It's simple," he shrugged. "You're essentially him, so he is very much like you. Would you try to save him?"_

_Not having an answer to that – well, not one he would admit – the Ba'al clone tried to change the subject. "We'll see," he smiled sneakily._

_"Something funny?"_

_"I was just thinking about Colonel Carter," he replied maliciously, inspecting his fingernails._

_Glaring at him, Jack stomped back the anger and fear he felt rising inside of him. "Wanna share with the class?"_

_"If you must insist," the clone stated with mock exasperation, clearly anxious to share his thoughts. "I was thinking she'd be perfect as a mate-"_

_Jack jumped up and grabbed him by the throat, pushing him up against the nearest wall, squeezing the air from the clone's body. "If he touches her, I swear to God…"_

_Clutching at his hand, the clone tried to smile despite the lack of oxygen. "I am a God."_

_"Please, you're a cheap knock-off of a megalomaniacal snake with a God-complex," Jack hissed, squeezing harder, ready to rip his head off. "If he so much as-"_

_The clone used all his strength and was able to loosen the hold O'Neill had on him and breathe. "Don't worry O'Neill," he chuckled evilly and searched for an appropriate expression to taunt O'Neill, "she won't mind, he'll make an honest woman out her."_

_Clenching his free hand into a fist, Jack struck him, twice. The clone fell to the ground and, trying to resist kicking a man when he's down, Jack took a step back and kicked him, hard. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He asked, ready to assault the clone again when the door opened and one of the JCS walked him, glaring at him. Daring him to strike again._

_Nursing his – probably cracked – ribs, the clone got up and spit some of the blood out of his mouth. Straightening up, he tried to stand tall like the God he was and gave O'Neill a small smile. "The great O'Neill still hasn't figured it out, has he?" He taunted him, wiping the blood from his face and chuckled, despite his ribs. "She will be our queen."_

Once again, Jack felt sick thinking of what that meant, what might have happened to his Carter, his Sam –  _his wife_  – and slammed his fist on the desk, propelling some of the finished files off it. He glanced at the picture again and prayed that Sam was alright, before getting up and grabbing his coat and briefcase; obviously, he wasn't safe from his mind here anymore either.

* * *

Albert Reynolds gingerly pushed the dark robe up and inspected Colonel Carter's leg, searching for injuries. She was freezing, despite the warm temperatures and he feared she had lost blood, although there was no evidence of any blood loss. It appeared she wasn't wearing anything under the robe, but he daren't look and had simply let his hands check her ribs – which felt fine – and stomach, to see if he could feel evidence of internal bleeding. She'd stirred a few times, but didn't regain consciousness and nothing but mumbling left her mouth.

"Sir?" Jennifer asked as she joined them again. "Should we give her water or something?" She was still awaiting her medical training and didn't have any experience with injuries on the battlefield and had never seen anything like what the Colonel in front of her was going through.

Running a hand through his hair, he shrugged. "I don't know," he tried to think, but couldn't calm down. He'd known Samantha Carter for a long time now, he respected her and the things she had done for their planet. Like everyone who saw her and General O'Neill together, he'd suspected that there was more between them than simple friendship. Unlike most of the people at the SGC, he'd been invited to their wedding and his respect for the two of them had only grown, knowing how they had kept things professional over the years while they clearly loved each other.

Suddenly reminded of her readings, Jennifer grabbed her handheld again. She tried messing with its parameters, but whatever she did it gave the same readings as it had before. "Sir," she placed a hand on Colonel Reynolds' shoulder to show him the readings. "Are we sure this is Colonel Carter?"

"Of course we are," he barked. "I thought you knew her."

"I do, Sir, we met several times. But these readings," she pointed them out again as he hadn't even glanced at them. "Couldn't this be some kind of trap? Like what Nirrti did to that alien girl?" Jennifer gnawed her lip, thinking back to the few times she had seen the alien girl on base and had heard the story of who she was and how she'd come to their planet. "Or maybe she's been, you know," she motioned towards her neck.

"Don't you think I checked that, Lieutenant?"

"Well, couldn't the scar have been healed if she'd been in a sarcophagus?"

Letting out a deep breath, Albert turned towards her. "And why would Ba'al leave her here then?"

"So she could infiltrate the base, Sir."

"If – and I say  _if_  – she was a Goa'uld she wouldn't need a rouse like that, because the snake would know everything she knows. She could easily circumvent whatever protocols she needed, considering she  _made_ them," he replied, as if explaining something to a five-year-old.

"Just look at the readings, Sir," Jennifer insisted, shoving the gizmo under his nose. "It doesn't make any sense, why would she emit traces of naquadah?"

Frowning, Albert looked at the readings, not understanding it and not even trying. "What are you saying, Hailey? I thought you said you weren't sure what these meant?"

"Well," she looked down and contemplated her reaction. "I'm not completely sure, if she was a Goa'uld the signal would be much stronger from what we know of previous encounters. But the fact that they are lower could indicate she's being used as a Trojan horse…"

Albert heard her voice trail off and glanced between the two women. "And that Tok'ra-thing couldn't have any influence on your readings?" He asked, gesturing towards Colonel Carter with his hand.

"What Tok'ra-thing?" Jennifer demanded.

He shrugged. "You know, that whole 'Jolinar taking over'-thing."

"What?"

Seeing her expression, Albert scowled at her. "You didn't know she was once a host to a Tok'ra?"

"What, no?" Dumbfounded, Jennifer stared at him, before breaking her gaze and glancing between Carter and her readings, trying to process this new information.

"I can't believe this," he exclaimed, scrubbing his face with his hand. "How the hell could you not have known, Lieutenant?"

"I don't know," she stammered, taking a step back. "It could explain it, I guess."

"You  _guess?_  Dammit Hailey, you knew about Cassandra but not about  _this_?" He pointed towards the still form on the floor. "Hell, if you would have paid any attention, we could have been here much sooner," he scolded her. "Who knows, she might not have been in such bad shape if we had found her earlier."

Confused, Jennifer stammered. "Wh-what?"

"If you would have done your job  _properly_ , Lieutenant," Albert glowered at her, "you would have known what those readings meant and we wouldn't have wasted days setting this all up," he motioned around them, encompassing the chamber of the cavern they found themselves in.

Realization dawning on her, Jennifer prayed to whatever God was out there that they weren't too late.  _He is right_ , she thought,  _Colonel Carter would have never made such a mistake… she would have checked and tried to find out what the readings meant without making assumptions_. She had simply assumed that the readings were lower because of the caverns or the atmosphere interfering with the readings, or because the Goa'uld was injured. But if she had been a host to a Tok'ra, she probably had naquadah traces in her blood. She would emit a much weaker signal than a Goa'uld, or even a Jaffa. "Still," she broke the silence, "we can't simply assume that is the reason."

"Why not?"

Daring a glance in his direction, Jennifer turned towards him when it didn't look like he would shoot her. "I think we've made enough assumptions already," she explained, blushing slightly, for the first time in her life feeling she had been wrong.

Albert sighed as he leaned back against one of the columns and slid down until he sat on the floor, next to his colleague, his friend. Looking at Samantha Carter, he took in her features. There was no doubt about it that this was her, even if she was paler and looked slightly haggard. She'd been missing for over seven months and her status had recently been changed from MIA to KIA, because of what the Ba'al clone had told them, he knew. "General O'Neill is going to kill us," he muttered, realizing the man had been right all along; Colonel Carter was still alive. Suddenly, an idea struck him and, scooting closer, he grabbed her dog tags. "You wanted proof, Hailey?"

"The Goa'uld know about our dog tags," Jennifer reminded him, "Ba'al could have easily faked them."

"I don't think he could've faked this," Albert replied, still holding on to the chain.

Curious, Jennifer leaned forward and noticed he wasn't trying to show her the Colonel's tags, but the ring that was hanging from it. "She's married?"

"Yeah," he nodded. Because of the years they had worked together and Carter was technically still in the same chain of command as O'Neill, the fact that they had married wasn't common knowledge. Albert chuckled to himself; the President and the JCS probably didn't want to give others the same idea, by pulling the same stunt they had.  _Leave it up to Carter and O'Neill_   _to think of some ingenious plan to escape the frat regs_ , he thought. Seeing her stir again and cry out, he glanced at his watch. "What the hell is taking them so long?"


	4. It's All About Sam

Groaning, Jack rolled on his side and glanced at the alarm clock. The sun was already casting its beams through the window – he hadn't closed the curtains – and he decided he might as well get up, considering there was no reason to stay in bed any longer. He heaved a sigh as he threw off the covers and stood. Turning, he went over to the closet and grabbed a clean pair of boxers. As he pivoted on his heels to make his way to the en suite bathroom, he couldn't help but cast a glance at the empty side of the bed. It hadn't been slept on in months, not since Sam had disappeared. He ignored the sick feeling in his gut that arose whenever he thought about where she could be and quickly went to take a shower.

While he was lathering his body the phone rang and for a minute, he contemplated whether to grab a towel and run to answer the phone. He shrugged to himself and continued lathering, before stepping back under the water letting it cascade down his body, enjoying the warmth. "For crying out loud," he muttered under his breath when the phone started to ring again, inadvertently swallowing some of the tepid water, making him curse and cough. It wasn't even 0530 hours and he wondered who the moron was that was trying to call him. Probably one of the foreign IOA members, not thinking about the different time zones as self-absorbed they were.  _I should demote Davis for handing my home number to them_ , he mused cursing his aid, while glaring in the direction of his bedroom as the phone kept ringing.

As Jack turned off the water and reached for his towel the ringing finally stopped and he breathed a sigh of relief at the silence. He quickly shaved and not even thirty seconds after finishing up his cell phone started ringing and he stomped down to his bedroom, looking for the damn thing. When he finally found it, it had stopped ringing and he groaned as he rolled his eyes. He donned his dress blues before picking it up the moment his personal cell phone – of which not many people knew the number – rang and, his interest piqued, he dropped the other cell and quickly ran down the stairs to grab it.

"O'Neill," he barked into it, panting slightly from the sudden exercise, afraid he'd be too late.

_"Jack?"_

"You know anyone else with this number named O'Neill, Space Monkey?" Jack rolled his eyes and tried to suppress the image of Sam conjured by his own words. She'd retained her maiden name for the military, but in her civilian life she went by Samantha Carter-O'Neill…

 _"Ah,"_ Daniel stammered, obviously not knowing what to say, exactly.  _"Did I wake you?"_

"No," he took a deep breath. "I was in the shower," Jack elaborated, not wanting to admit he hardly slept these days. It had been after midnight by the time he'd come home from his office and he'd only slept for almost five hours, it had become routine over the months. "But I doubt you were calling me to ask whether or not I was sleeping."

_"Er, no not really…"_

Hearing Daniel's voice trail off, Jack rolled his eyes. "Just spit it out, Daniel."

_"You might want to sit down, Jack."_

Jack swallowed hard and steeled himself for what the younger man was about to divulge. Only now did he realize Daniel wouldn't have called at this hour unless it was important and he never – ever – told him to sit down… "What is it?" he asked in a hoarse tone, fearing the worst.

_"Jack… they found her!"_

It didn't happen very often, but for once Jack couldn't speak; his mouth turned dry and he could hardly swallow as he tried to process what Daniel told him. "What?"

_"Sam, Reynolds' team found her!"_

"What, how is she–Daniel, is she a-" Jack's knees buckled and he let himself plop down on the couch.

_"She's alive! We don't know much, she was unconscious, but she's alive, Jack!"_

"Oh God," he mumbled, dragging a hand through his hair. "Ba'al, did he…?"

 _"I don't know,"_  Daniel's voice softened.  _"Reynolds sent one of his men back to get a medical team because she was unconscious and he didn't want to risk moving her, that's all we know. Janet and her team went through the gate an hour ago."_

"I'm on my way," Jack said in a gruff tone and, without thinking, disconnected as he jumped to his feet. He ran back upstairs to grab his business cell phone, his brief case – including passport – and finish getting dressed and grabbed the car keys in the hall way before making his way over to his car. He knew  _Prometheus_  had left earlier that evening and there wasn't another ship in orbit so he couldn't beam to the SGC, thus once seated in the car he called Andrews to get himself a hop to Peterson.

* * *

"Jack? Jack?" Daniel sighed as he realized the connection had been broken and pushed up his glasses. Yawning, he grabbed the cup of coffee that Walter had brought him while he'd been on the phone and took a sip. He'd been sleeping when one of the SFs had knocked on his door, telling him to report to General Landry and had dressed quickly. He hadn't been sleeping very well, the conversation with the President and the JCS about Sam wouldn't leave his mind nor his argument with Jack. After the meeting had come to an end, Jack had stormed out telling Daniel he could contact  _Prometheus_  to get beamed back to the SGC, since they were to depart in an hour. Knowing there wasn't anything he could do for his friend, Daniel had arranged it and soon found himself back in the SGC.

He had relayed the news to Janet, who had given him a curt nod before retreating in her office. He knew she needed time alone to process the fact that she would finally have to say goodbye to Sam, after everything they had gone through. He knew how much the two women cared for each other; two years ago, when Janet had been balancing between life and death after being hit by a staff blast in the field on P3X-666, their friendship had grown even closer. For once, the roles had been reversed; Daniel tried to keep Janet alive, while Sam had been doing the same to Jack back at that planet. Afterwards, they had to stand by and watch Janet fight for her live… Daniel had known both women since they started out at the SGC and he knew they didn't have a lot of other female friends, but he was also pretty certain they didn't need anyone else besides each other, Cassandra and the team. Still, he'd wanted to comfort Janet but she wouldn't let him. Not now, at least. So, instead he had gone to his lab and tried to work on some tablet but even that couldn't interest him and eventually he'd headed for his quarters.

The moment he'd stepped inside the briefing room, he could feel all the energy bustling around and one look at Janet's beaming face had told him all he needed to know; they had found Sam! Landry and the lieutenant colonel from SG-3 – Mitchell or something, they hadn't really met – had quickly debriefed him while Janet had made her way to the infirmary, getting her team together to go through the gate. He'd been torn between asking her not to go – the last time she'd gone through the gate was to 666 – and staying quiet, knowing she was the best doctor they had and Sam deserved the best. Once they had finished, he knew even if he would ask Janet – which he wouldn't – she would still go and wished her good luck, before turning to General Landry suggesting he'd call Jack himself since no one had done so far.

Daniel had been furious, especially after seeing Jack earlier that evening and knowing some of what he was going through. He'd told Landry he would call him and they had left him in the briefing room to call Jack. Now, he was awaiting news from Janet, or rather the return of his best friend whom he hadn't seen in months. He noticed his hands were shaking and quickly drank the last of his coffee, before going back to his quarters to get a shower.

* * *

Janet kept an eye on Sam, while she was sitting next to the bed she was lying in. They had almost reached P3B-645 and it wouldn't be long now before she could get her friend through the gate and into her infirmary. If she were honest, she'd been slightly worried to go off world again, in the last two years she hadn't been called upon to go through the gate. Probably because of what had happened on 666, she knew that. She wouldn't be surprised if General O'Neill had been the one to tell Landry to keep her on base, because he'd refused to let her go when he'd been commanding the base. He'd told her it was because she was the CMO and that they couldn't risk losing her, but she couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he let his friendship cloud his judgment… She chuckled to herself; General O'Neill would never let his personal feelings cloud his judgment, he had proven as much with Sam as his 2IC over the years. Still, General Hammond had never let her position as CMO influence whether or not she'd go out. Today, however, wasn't about her; it was about Sam.

Sam! She was still alive and hopefully, Janet could figure out what was wrong with her when they got back to the base and she could do some more tests. She hadn't been able to find any serious trauma, but Sam was still unconscious with the odd stirring and moaning every now and then. There had been no scar of Goa'uld entry – they all knew what the clone had said Ba'al wanted with Sam – but she couldn't be sure until Sam had undergone a scan. However, there were no signs of a Goa'uld and her friend probably wouldn't be unconscious if there was a snake inside of her… she remembered the report she had read about Major Kawalsky in the beginning of the program; he'd been infested with an immature Goa'uld, which meant the parasite wasn't able to keep complete control. Still, she doubted this was the case with Sam.

Getting up, Janet changed the fluids she was giving Sam through an IV. Her own mouth had practically turned dry the moment she set foot on the planet and she couldn't imagine what Sam had gone through in the days since she ringed down. Apparently, she'd been conscious at the moment, because she doubted it was a trap, that someone had left her there. She'd obviously been lucid enough to find shelter and even water, but by the looks of it – particularly her skin – it was clear she hadn't been drinking any of it.

"Doctor Fraiser? We're about to land, you might want to grab your equipment and get ready to leave," Lieutenant Emy Morrison told her from the doorway.

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Janet nodded and grabbed her things.

"How, ah… how is she?"

She grimaced and looked at Sam, who was squirming in the bed. "I honestly don't know until I have her in the infirmary and can do some tests."

"But she's, you know… her?"

"I'm pretty sure she is the Samantha Carter we know," Janet confirmed. "But I still have to run a DNA test and…" her voice trailed off and the young lieutenant nodded, before leaving her to it. Glancing back to her friend, Janet instinctively knew this was the Sam that had gone missing all those months ago. She wasn't some robot, a clone or a replicator, she could feel it. Not to mention the ring she was wearing around her dog tags.

* * *

Ignoring the SFs, Jack made his way through the checkpoints, almost thrusting his ID into one of the airmen's faces. He scribbled something unreadable on the sign in sheet and noticed how his hands were shaking. Taking a deep breath, he got into the elevator and jabbed at the button, impatiently rocking on his feet at the slow descend. He groaned when the car stopped and quickly changed elevators, jabbing more aggressively at the button for level 21 and glared at the other occupant who was about to open his mouth. Jack shoved his clenched fists in his pockets as he watched the little lights indicating the levels they reached. He wouldn't go by Landry, the briefing or control room. He could care less about Landry; his wife was probably in the infirmary already and he needed to know how she was doing.

He took a fortifying breath as he tried to push down the anxiety he was feeling. It didn't mean anything that Daniel hadn't called him to give an update. After all, he'd been on the plane and the ride from Peterson to the SGC had taken less than half an hour at the speed he was going. When the car stopped and the doors opened, Jack quickly brushed past the people standing in his way and took long, purposeful strides to the infirmary.

Alarm bells went off in his head when he saw Daniel sitting in the hallway, instead of being with Sam as he'd expected.

"General O'Neill."

Jack glanced around and out of nowhere Janet Fraiser was standing next to him. "Doc."

"Jack!" Daniel got up from his chair and quickly walked over to him and Janet.

"General, I'm glad you could make it," Janet started as she fidgeted with the paper on the chart in her hand.

Squinting, Jack waited for her to continue, but she seemed to hesitate. "How is she?" He asked in a hoarse voice and awkwardly cleared his throat as he scrubbed his face with his hand. "It is her, right?"

"Yes," she nodded, nervously glancing from the general to Daniel and back. "I'm pretty sure it's her-"

"Pretty sure?" Jack interrupted her, scowling. "What does that mean?"

"Well, I don't have the results of the DNA test yet, but there are traces of naquadah in her blood and she was wearing her tags… including the ring, Sir."

Relieved, he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and nodded.

"There is the matter of some scars, though," she said, warily.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, brows raised as he gave her an intense look.

"I'm not sure," Janet replied, looking up to him. "Some of her more recent scars are gone and the one on her left thigh-"

"From the Kull warrior on the Alpha Site," Daniel chimed in.

"-seems to have faded somewhat," she frowned, still puzzled about it.

"Sarcophagus," Jack muttered under his breath, shaking his head as he stared down at his shoes. Once again he pushed his fears away, knowing he should be glad that Sam was alive and here with them. But he knew what Ba'al was capable of, what several times dying did to someone…. "What about the snake?"

"There is no evidence of a Goa'uld," Janet smiled, "Sam has undergone an ultrasound as well as an MRI to check for the presence around the brainstem and possible head trauma."

Jack rocked on his feet and looked at the petite doctor. "So…" When Daniel and Fraiser just looked at him, Jack rolled his eyes impatiently and made a hand gesture towards the infirmary.

"Jack?"

"What were you doing here if Sam is in there? I want to see her," he started towards the door.

"General, wait!" Janet quickly ran over to him, her low heels clicking on the hard floor. "There's something else you should know."

"What?" he glared at her, scared what she might have left out.

"The sarcophagus," she started, "I'm afraid that-"

"She's addicted," he made it sound more like a statement than a question.

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

Jack turned to Daniel and glowered at him. "Why aren't you with her?" Daniel knew what a sarcophagus addiction was like, hell, he himself knew what an addiction was like! Especially withdrawal, but the sarcophagus withdrawal seemed to be unlike any drug withdrawal they knew on Earth. He remembered what Daniel had been like after using the damn device at least ten times and how it had messed with his body chemistry… if Carter –  _Sam_  – was unconscious because of it, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what Ba'al had done to her…. "Daniel-"

"I was there, but this is different, Jack," Daniel tried to explain as he shifted uncomfortably on his feet.

"How is it different?"

"Sam seemed to wake at one point when I was running some tests," Janet explained in a cautious tone. "Daniel was with her at the time and he called me."

Daniel shrugged and motioned behind him. "Sam was really out of it and all of a sudden she stopped mumbling and stilled, before she sat up and looked around the room…"

"That's when I came in," Janet continued, "and Sam… I don't know, Sir, but it was like she didn't recognize us."

"What are you saying?"

"I tried to calm her, talk to her."

Jack nodded as the petite doctor elaborated, but he could feel the fist around his heart tighten even more.

"She didn't seem to know who we were," Janet concluded, barely able to look at him. "She didn't respond to her name and kept asking where she was and what was happening, Sir. We told her who we were but it didn't seem to register with her."

"Because of the withdrawal?" he asked, slightly skeptic.

"I don't think so," she shook her head and looked him in the eye. "I just wanted to warn you, Sir, she might not react the way you expect her to…."

"She was really agitated, Jack," Daniel added, giving him a sympathizing look. "Sam kept asking what had happened and she even got aggressive towards me and Janet. It's why I left, she seemed to calm down when she was left alone."

"Yeah, well, I remember what you were like when you were going through withdrawal," Jack squinted at him, "you tried to shoot me."

Janet shook her head and placed a hand on his arm. "She's not acting like that Sir, she seems more confused and agitated, rather than aggressive and unreasonable."

"Not like Sam at all," Daniel whispered.

Nodding, Jack took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil. "So… she's in shock?"

"I don't think so, General," Janet replied, looking down at the chart in her hand. "But her test results are all over the chart, so I can't say for certain."

"Like Daniel's were," Jack understood.

"And yours," Daniel gently reminded him, unsure whether to mention the torture under Ba'al's hands.

"Not exactly," Janet countered. "Her electrolytes, endorphins, hormones-"

"Yeah, yeah," Jack made a vague hand gesture, urging her to get to the point.

"They're all over the place, but they're slightly different than yours," she looked at both men.

Rubbing his chin, Daniel glanced between them. "Because of the naquadah?"

"I don't think so… for now, I'll just blame it on her different physiology."

"Because of Jolinar?" Daniel asked again.

"No, Space Monkey, because she's a woman," Jack rolled his eyes. "Doc, is she still awake?"

"I gave her a sedative before doing some tests," she shook her head, "she's still resting. And yes, because women have different hormones, Daniel."

"I need to see her, Janet," Jack said in a hoarse whisper when she stopped him in his tracks, yet again.

"I know," she nodded, knowing he'd been using all his self-control to not shove them aside and go look for Sam. "I just want you to know, Sir, that she might not recognize you."

Hearing her hesitant tone, Jack looked her in the eye. "If it's not because of the withdrawal, it's head trauma, right?"

Janet silently shook her head and told him there was no evidence of any trauma on the scans.

He gulped and shrugged, gently pushing her out of his way and walking up to the door of the observation room.

Watching his retreating back, Daniel glanced at Janet. "If it's not head trauma than what could it be?"

"Honestly? I have no idea," she admitted. "In a way, I hope it's simply her subconscious suppressing what she's gone through in the last few months…"

* * *

Jack's breath caught when he stepped inside the room and saw the still form of his wife lying on the bed. She seemed to be sedated, but keeping the Doc's warning in his mind, he stayed in the shadows for a moment, observing her. Sam looked impossibly small in the bed, all kinds of wires connecting her body to various machines and he couldn't miss the IVs. Softly padding over to the bed he immediately noticed how skinny she was looking. "Oh, Sam," he whispered, his hand automatically reaching out to caress her cheek. Her skin was cold, a sheen of perspiration on her face and chest. Jack knew he'd never forget what going through withdrawal was like, especially not from a sarcophagus and reached over to a bowl of water and grabbed a cloth to wipe the sweat away, even knowing it wouldn't be long before it would grace her skin again.

His hand froze midair when she let out a sigh, but he resumed his task when she remained silent afterwards. He threw the cloth on the table and grabbed her hand with his right, while his left brushed her bangs away to press a kiss on her forehead. He hadn't realized at first how long her hair had gotten, he mused as he let his hand rake through her long locks.  _It must have grown at least four inches…_ He could feel the sand and tangles in her hair, not to mention it was kind of greasy, but he could care less as he leaned down to kiss her crown and inhale that unique Samantha Carter scent.

Barely able to contain the rage building inside of him, Jack backed off and grabbed a chair to plop down on, sitting next to her bed, her cold still hand in his firm grasp. At the moment, he could care less about the CCTV; they were married for crying out loud! Even if most people on base didn't know it… plus, she'd been abducted and it had been almost eight months since he'd seen her last, since he'd held her. He was going to kill every single last Ba'al he could find, rip off their heads and burn the little snakes! Well, at least he didn't have to persuade his friends to help him, considering that was exactly what Teal'c had been doing these past few months – hunting Ba'als, that is.

Sam stirred and he anxiously awaited her next move, but she only mumbled something incoherently and squirmed in the bed, before going silent again. He wondered and perhaps even feared what her response would be like once she'd awake, considering she hadn't recognized Daniel or Janet. Jack tried to convince himself that it was due to the hallucinations from the withdrawal or perhaps head trauma from her escape from Ba'al, but knew the Doc wouldn't have warned him if it had been that simple. He wasn't sure what he'd do if she didn't recognize or remember him… what if she would never be the Sam they all knew? The voice of Fraiser kept sounding in his mind, telling him she hadn't responded to her own name, hadn't recognized Daniel or Janet herself. Pushing those dark and depressing thoughts back to recesses of his mind, he leaned back and dragged a hand over his face. This wasn't about him, it was about Sam. He had to be here for her.

"Jack?"

He turned and saw Daniel standing hesitantly in the doorway. "Yeah?"

Daniel padded over to him and glanced at Sam. "Still the same?"

"She stirred a few times, but nothing else," he replied, shaking his head while tightening his grip on her hand.

"Janet said she needs to do a few more tests in a few minutes."

Nodding, Jack made no attempt to move at all. "Oh, okay."

"She also mentioned Sam will be out for at least another hour, maybe you should get something to eat?"

"Daniel-"

Holding up his hand, Daniel interrupted him. "No Jack, you'll be of no use to Sam if you don't take care of yourself," he stated. "You know Janet will call you as soon as Sam wakes."

"I just want to be here with her," he whispered, caressing her cheek again and tracing the contours of her lips with his thumb. "She's been gone for so long…"

Daniel simply nodded, understanding the need for Jack to be there with Sam. He understood because he wanted to be there for her as well, he knew how horrible the withdrawal would be. But after the way she'd been glaring at him today, he wasn't sure it was best for Sam if he stayed here.  _Perhaps she just needs some rest and once the hallucinations diminish, she'll recognize us…_

Bringing up her hand, Jack pressed a kiss on it before standing. "I'll be back, Sam," he gave her a last, lingering look before turning to the door to let the Doc take care of his wife. Sighing, he followed Daniel to the commissary to grab something to eat.

* * *

"Are we certain it's Colonel Carter?" Hank questioned once everyone was seated.

"Yes," Jack nodded, while fidgeting with his ball point.

"Well," Daniel started as General Landry looked around the table. "The results of the DNA tests aren't back yet, but-"

"So we don't know yet," he replied, scowling at Jack.

Shrugging, Jack scowled back. "I know."

"Jack, I understand that you want it to be Colonel Carter but unless there is some hard evidence, I can't just take you at your word," Hank tried in a softer tone, sympathizing with him.

"There's naquadah in her blood, her system is all screwed up from sarcophagus usage, she has her tags, same scars," Jack summed up, ticking his fingers with every argument, daring the other general to deny the facts. "Same wedding ring."

"I see," Hank mumbled, sitting back in his chair. He wanted it to be Colonel Carter too, knowing what a contribution she'd made over the years and considering that she was the foremost expert on the gate as well as alien technology. Not to mention that he hated seeing Jack deteriorate in front of his eyes. They were old friends and he didn't want him to suffer, especially not after everything the man had gone through.

"Shouldn't we inform Mark?" Daniel asked all of a sudden. Seeing the confusion on General Landry's face, he elaborated. "Mark Carter, her brother."

"Ah," Hank nodded, thinking it over. "Perhaps we should await the test results before telling him."

"The President doesn't want anyone to know yet," Jack added, having been in contact with President Hayes after his visit to the commissary. "We can't tell her family yet. Besides, Hank is right; there's no point in telling them if they can't even visit and we can't prove it's Carter."

Frowning, Daniel pushed up his glasses. "Ah, Jack?"

"What?"

"What exactly did you tell Mark?"

Now it was Jack's turn to frown. "When, Space Monkey?"

"When Sam disappeared," Daniel gulped, uncomfortable.

"That she was abducted," he shrugged.

Incredulous, Daniel stared at him. "Just like that?"

"You would think a sibling of Colonel Carter wouldn't be that easily fooled," Hank muttered.

"He knows she's doing top secret research and I told him that she was abducted on her way to give a presentation about the new aircraft she was working on," Jack elaborated.

"Has he been informed about, err… her change in status?" Hank asked cautiously, glancing at Jack.

Huffing, Jack turned to him. "Yeah, my aid – Major Davis – was sent to his house by the President to inform him."

"Now what are you going to tell him?" Daniel asked, genuinely curious.

"We'll see," Jack shrugged, "depends on Carter." He didn't want to admit it, but he knew there was a good chance she wouldn't remember him or her family for that matter after what Janet and Daniel had told him.

"But even if she, ah," Daniel hesitated, not willing to say it aloud. "If her recovery takes longer than expected, you'll have to tell him something."

"A recon team found her in the Middle East or something," Jack motioned towards Reynolds who was sitting at the far end of the table. "Mark has been told all kinds of cover stories by his father and Selmak, he won't question it."

"Good point," Hank agreed, nodding his head.

Getting up, Jack looked around. "Look, I don't think I'm needed here," without waiting for a response from Hank he walked towards the door and made his way back to the infirmary. It had been almost forty minutes since he'd left Sam with Janet…


	5. Memories

"Doc," Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, still slightly sleepy as he walked into the observation room. "What's that?"

She looked at where his finger was pointing and raised the folder she was clutching in her hand. "Test results."

"Ah," he nodded and slumped down on a chair next to General Landry, both waiting for her to start talking.

"The DNA is a perfect match to the one we had in the database of Sam," Janet smiled at him as the corner of his mouth turned up.

"That's great news," Hank smiled and clasped Jack's shoulder.

Jack shrugged of his hand and got up. "Told ya," he couldn't help but say as he walked to the other side of the room. "Anything else?"

"Sam woke," she informed him, glancing at General Landry before staring at her shoes.

"When?" Jack scowled at her, his head whipping around to the large windows but the shades were obstructing his view.

Janet glanced up, hesitantly, and cocked her head to the side. "About forty minutes ago. I know," she held up her hand to stop him from interrupting her, "I said I'd call you the minute she woke, but you needed your sleep, Sir."

"Doc-"

The door opened and Daniel barged in. He looked at Janet as he dragged his hand through his hair. "Thank God," he groaned, very unlike himself. "Did you see?"

"No," she shook her head, motioning towards the shades. After sending General O'Neill to get some rest in the VIP quarters half way into the night, she had checked Sam's vitals and turned on the shades on the observation window, making sure her friend got some privacy as everyone went to their respective beds. Janet hadn't been able to get a lot of sleep herself and had woken up around 0500 hours and found the DNA matching was done, before checking on Sam again. Of course, she had run into Daniel who had gone to bed earlier than most of them and was ready to sit by Sam's side again. They had talked while Janet had measured Sam's blood pressure, took her body temperature and went over the print out of her vitals over the night.

Unable to contain the good news, she had told Daniel that it was indeed Sam they were taking care of and gave him strict instructions for Sam's breakfast when their friend had woken up. Janet had informed her of the test results, but Sam still didn't seem to remember anything and while Daniel went out to grab the food, Janet had helped her to the bathroom and get cleaned up. Daniel came back and told Janet to get Jack while he would stay with a wary Sam. She bumped into General Landry on her way out and he had proposed to take a seat in the observation room while she updated him on the Colonel. She hadn't deemed it necessary to disturb Sam and Daniel's privacy by removing the shades and that was when General O'Neill had walked in.

"I couldn't take it anymore," Daniel shot her a bashful look, "and needed to get out for a minute, she's driving me ins- Oh," he interrupted himself. "General Landry, I didn't see you there."

"Is Colonel Carter giving you any trouble?" Hank inquired, worry creasing his brow. He hadn't had the pleasure of meeting her, but from what he'd heard from everyone on base she was very likeable.

"Yeah, she's going c-"

Janet placed her hand on Daniel's arm and squeezed it. "Just a bit cranky, Sirs," she told both Generals as she interrupted the archeologist.

Frowning, Daniel swiveled on his feet when Janet glanced past him and only then did he notice Jack's grim face. "Jack, I didn't know you were here," he mumbled apologetically, inclined to bite his tongue off for what he'd been about to say. It wasn't fair, he knew that, but Sam had been glaring and thrown accusations at him while keeping him at bay as he tried to help her, be there for her.

"She still awake?" Jack asked in a hoarse tone, trying to ignore the inner turmoil caused by Daniel's words.

"Yeah, just, ah," Daniel stammered a bit, blushing, "a bit upset, that's all. Maybe you can calm her?"

Jack nodded, pretending to agree while his mind was going a mile a minute. If Daniel and Janet were unable to calm her, to spur her to remember, what chance did he have? Could he face her and see her staring back at him with a blank face, having no idea who he was? He swallowed hard as he thrust his fists in the pockets of his dress trousers. "She still doesn't remember?"

"No, Sir," Janet replied, trying to hide the hurt she was feeling, not to mention her inadequacy in helping her best friend. "As far as I can tell, it seems to be some kind of amnesia."

"You're saying that Colonel Carter simply doesn't remember anything, Doctor Fraiser?" Hank asked, getting up from his chair. "How much  _does_  she remember and how did this happen?"

"I have no idea, Sirs," she shook her head. "Like I said, it seems like amnesia; retrograde amnesia, to be precise." Seeing their confused faces, Janet continued. "Basically, there are two types of amnesia: anterograde and retrograde amnesia," she held up two fingers. "With the first, a person is unable to form new memories because the information isn't processed properly. The latter however, means that someone can't recall pre-existing memories. Sam seemed to remember some of the things that happened yesterday, as well as the gateless planet she was found on. Other than that, she can't remember anything. Normally, retrograde amnesia covers a certain amount of time but in other cases it affects all of the memories."

"Well, how do we fix it?" Daniel asked, shifting on his feet impatiently, his arms crossed in front of his chest in an uncomfortable stance.

"I- I," Janet stammered for a moment and then looked up in Jack O'Neill's eyes. "I don't know," her gaze went down to the floor as she tried to overcome her emotions. "There are forms of therapy we can try but considering we – including Sam at this point – don't know how this happened in the first place there is a good chance that it will take a long, long time. With your permission, I would like to contact a colleague of mine who specializes in amnesia," she glanced at both generals.

"Of course, go ahead," Jack replied before Hank could even open his mouth. "Doc," he stopped her on her way out with his voice and waited for her to face him. "The memories… are they lost?"

Janet swallowed hard and blinked her eyes before responding. "I really can't tell at this point, but usually they are just beyond  _conscious_  recollecting," she tried to give him a reassuring smile and left them there on her way to her office.

Jack nodded to no one in particular, processing this new information and tried to swallow the lump in his throat. He knew Janet did the best she could but he hoped that for once the petite doctor was wrong and that Sam would remember everything all of a sudden. He huffed at his own thoughts, knowing how foolish they were. She was simply being honest, trying to prepare them all for the worst. Somehow, that smile she gave him before she turned and left had done nothing to set his mind at ease, for her eyes had done the opposite of reassuring him…

"So," Daniel started, glancing at the two generals left with him. "I guess I should go and see if Walter has heard from Teal'c already and get some breakfast, you probably want to spend some time with Sam alone," he had turned to Jack at his last statement and gave him a sad smile. "I'll be back later, call me if you need me."

Realizing the doctor was right, Hank nodded too. "I'll be in my office, Jack. If you want, I'll update the President on Colonel Carter's condition."

"Thanks," Jack mumbled, in effect dismissing the two men. He stepped up to the wall next to the observation window and fiddled with the dimmer until the shades let him see through them and he saw his wife curled up on her side in the bed, the covers pulled up to her chin while she tried to fight the tremors. Her long hairs shone in the poor infirmary lighting, still wet from a shower and pulled back in a ponytail. He assumed Janet had helped her clean up, remembering how he'd been unable to do the simplest things himself without shaking badly when he'd undergone withdrawal after his 'meeting' with Ba'al over two and a half years ago. Checking the dimmer again, he sat back down in his chair, observing Sam comforted in knowing that she couldn't see him through the shades but he could see her…

* * *

Janet cautiously peeked into the room and was surprised to find it empty. She hurried over to the bed Sam was supposed to be lying in and then heard some noise coming from the adjoining bathroom. "Sam?"

"Doctor," was her coolly response.

Biting her lip, Janet hesitated what to do before she walked over to the huddled body in the corner. "Come on, let's get you in bed," she grabbed her friend's arm and tried to pull her up.

"No," she protested, making no effort to get up.

"Sam," Janet tried again, "you can't stay here on the floor."

"Why not?"

"You'll get a cold," Janet mumbled as she brushed Sam's hair out of her face, before grabbing a cloth to clean her face.

A humorless chuckle was the response Janet got from Sam. "I'll live."

Janet tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she looked at her best friend, who still didn't seem to recognize her. Making up her mind, she pulled Sam up with all the strength she could muster with her petite frame. "If you won't cooperate, I'll get one of the SFs in here to help me," she threatened, remembering how Sam had reacted in the morning when Daniel had gotten some help from one of the SFs posted outside Sam's room. For some reason it was distressing to her, probably because of all the unfamiliar faces.

"Fine," she grunted and feebly left the bathroom, leaning on the doctor.

With a jerk of her head, Janet sent the nurse – who had just finished up changing the sheets – out of the room, before helping Sam into the bed. "Let me put these on," she mumbled, pushing Sam back on the mattress as she tried to protest and showed her the different wires connected to the machines. "How do you feel?" gingerly taking off the lieutenant colonel's dog tags, Janet tried to hold her gaze. She opened the front of the infirmary gown and placed the electrodes back in place to make sure she was properly monitored. The dog tags had gotten tangled up with the wires before, limiting Sam's movement therefore she'd removed them this time.

"Like crap."

Janet tried to suppress a chuckle at the answer, reminded once again that her friend had changed after finally giving in to her feelings for a certain Jack O'Neill and had even taken over some of his expletives. It gave her hope that perhaps not all of Sam's memories were gone. "I can imagine, how long were you lying on that cold floor?" she peered at her friend who simply shrugged. Sighing, Janet walked back to the bathroom to refill the jug of water for Sam and, noticing the contents of Sam's stomach, flushed the toilet while sending up a prayer that Sam would recover soon from the effect of sarcophagus withdrawal. She filled Sam's cup with water and told her to drink some of it.

The door opened and a smiling Daniel walked in. "Hi Sam, Janet," he said cheerfully as he grabbed a chair, not in the least deterred by Sam's eye roll.

"Doctor Jackson," a curt nod was all he got. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see how my friend was doing," Daniel replied, grabbing her cold, clammy hand – which she immediately pulled back. "I know what you're going through, Sam. I've been there and I want to be here for you, to help you through this."

"How would you know," she objected, clearly not believing him.

"I went through the same thing, Sam," he looked her in the eye, trying to will her to believe him. "A few years ago I used the sarcophagus almost a dozen times, I know what it's like."

She frowned and looked at the two people in the room with her. They both claimed to be her friends and seemed to be truly helpful. "Did you lose your memory as well?"

"Ah," he stammered.

"Thought so," she huffed, swatting his hand from her bed.

"I lost my memory once," Daniel told her. "Not from the sarcophagus, but from, er… it's a long story, but I almost died and instead ascended to a higher plane of existence." He glanced at her, making sure he still had her attention and was surprised to see her simply looking at him with curious blue eyes. "Somehow, I didn't really fit in with the others and I couldn't follow their most important rule," he smiled sheepishly.

Feeling the corners of her mouth quirk up at his embarrassment, she spoke up. "What was that?"

"We weren't allowed to interfere with others," he tried to explain in layman's terms. "They punished me by sending me back to my own plane, this plane-"

"No wonder they sent you back," she muttered under her breath, remembering how he'd been hounding her for as long as she could remember – not that her memory stretched further than a few days.

"-only without my memory," he continued, ignoring her soft comment.

"So, you didn't know anyone when you ended up here?"

"Actually, they – including you – found me on another planet and recognized me," Daniel elaborated. "I had no idea who the strangers were and they told me all kinds of things, adventures, events and information telling me I belonged with them. Eventually, I went back with them because I was too curious and felt at ease with them. In the end, most of my memory returned, just not of the time I lived as an ascended being." He looked up and was surprised to see her skeptic expression.

"How very convenient," she mumbled, making a vague hand gesture.

Janet stepped closer, holding her sphygmomanometer and stethoscope ready as she reached for Sam's arm to measure her blood pressure again. "He's telling the truth, Sam."

"Well, of course you would say that," she rolled her eyes. "I find it very conspicuous that he," she pointed at Daniel, "happens to know exactly what I'm going through. You say you can't tell me what happened to me, but it is very convenient that  _I_ happen to have lost my memory and don't remember  _anything_. You can tell me whatever you want, for all I know you did this to me," she crossed her arms, scowling at both of them.

"Don't say such things, Sam," Janet berated her. "Now, sit still," she ordered as she tried to measure her BP.

"I ran into the General and he told me he'd come by and check up on you too," Daniel mentioned to Sam, reminded of his little run-in with General Landry earlier.

"Why?"

Frowning, Janet pulled the sphygmomanometer off her arm and placed her stethoscope back around her neck. "Because he is the base commander and you're in the infirmary. We've been looking for you for months, Sam," she told her, "and he wants to know how you're doing and hopefully tell everyone you're recuperating."

"Oh," she mumbled. "Hey!"

"Don't be a baby," Janet mumbled as she reinserted the IV and taped it to the back of her hand. "Now, I want you to get some rest and eat lunch, Sam and I'll grab you some more covers," she mentioned as it hadn't escaped her attention that Sam was still experiencing tremors.

"I'm not hungry," she shook her head.

Daniel leaned towards her, leaning on the bed with his elbows. "Sam, you should try and eat. You've lost a lot of weight and you need your strength."

"I'll just lose it again," she motioned towards the bathroom as she couldn't seem to keep her food down.

"Still, your body needs nutrients," Janet dismissed her argument and placed the food the nurse had left behind on her side table. "So eat."

"You know, this," Sam scowled at her while holding up the hospital ID on her wrist, "says I'm Lieutenant Colonel S. Carter and you're a major, I believe that means I outrank you."

Surprised by this, Janet just stared at her for a moment. Sam had never been the condescending type nor would she look down at someone with a lower rank, but at least this meant she remembered something about the hierarchy in the military!

"Samantha," Daniel informed her.

"What?"

"That is what the S stands for," he shrugged, glancing back at Janet who was still staring at Sam. "Almost everyone simply calls you Sam, though."

"Oh," she nodded, fidgeting with the strap.

"It's good to hear that somewhere in your mind you seem to remember the command structure," Janet finally replied dryly, "but as CMO I outrank even the General in medical matters. So you  _will_ eat and rest, doctor's orders."

"Yes Ma'am," she mumbled, ducking her head.

"Sam-"

"I don't know where that came from," her head snapped up as she interrupted Daniel.

"Maybe you're remembering again," Daniel beamed, squeezing her hand.

* * *

Jack walked back into the observation room, fresh coffee in his hand and plopped down on the chair he vacated a few minutes ago to go to the restroom and get himself a caffeine shot. He glanced at the duffle bag next to his feet; he'd gone back to Jacob's old apartment – the one he'd left Sam in his will – in town to grab some of Sam's things. He'd sold his house in Colorado Springs and bought a new one in DC when they'd gotten married and she had a little apartment in Nevada, not far from Area 51. She'd sold her single-story house in the Springs as well, considering she didn't have anything left here, thinking she'd be spending her time in Nevada and DC whenever she could. The apartment here contained some personal items as well as clothes and stuff for whenever they came to visit the SGC, this way they didn't have to pack up every time.

Now, Jack was wondering how he was going to get Sam her things. The sun had been setting when he'd gotten back to base and when he'd walked into the observation room, she was finally sleeping. He didn't want to disturb her, he kept telling himself. But he knew that wasn't the real reason; he still hadn't gone to see her after she woke up, afraid that she wouldn't recognize him. She still didn't recognize Janet and Daniel, but hope had flared in his heart when she seemed to remember that she'd outrank a major and gave an automatic response to Janet's order to eat and sleep. However, that hope almost died when she had looked up, clearly startled by her own words, and said she didn't know where that came from. Daniel, being the optimist, had suggested she might start remembering again.

But Sam had dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand, saying she didn't remember anything at all. It had reminded him of when they'd been Thera and Jonah and she'd called him 'Sir' out of the blue. Still, this wasn't some memory stamp they had gotten; Sam had amnesia and didn't seem to remember anything from the last 37 years. And he was scared, scared that she would look at him and see a stranger, someone she didn't know let alone love. After eight long years they had finally admitted their feelings for each other, she had even accepted his marriage proposal without having to think about it, they had been building a live together before she went missing. They had even talked about starting a family together; he loved kids, although he wasn't sure he would be able to handle raising a child of his own again after what had happened to Charlie. But Sam had told him she thought he would be the best father; she had seen him together with Cassie and other children. He already knew he couldn't refuse Sam anything, all she had to do was look at him with those big blue eyes and before he knew it he'd relent. Plus the idea of having a child with Sam – trying to make a child with Sam – appealed to him more than he'd thought possible; a little boy or girl with her eyes, hair and intelligence – well, maybe the world wasn't ready yet for a kid with her IQ… Now, they would never get that chance…

He glanced down again and watched her stir in her sleep. He couldn't face her, not yet anyway. He stood and turned the intercom on, so he could hear whatever was going on in the room. The soft beeping of her heart rate calmed him somewhat; at least she was alive, safe and sound with them here. He knew he should be happy about that at least, but doubt reared his ugly head again as he watched her curl op on the bed. Before he had proposed to her, they had talked for hours about everything that had happened since they'd met and they had even discussed her broken-off engagement to Shanahan. Sam had told him about her hallucinations on  _Prometheus_  and that she'd been afraid he was her safe bet… now he started wondering about that too. What if Sam – without her memories – didn't feel anything for him? What if it had been hero worshipping all these years?

Jack started pacing the floor, glancing at his sleeping wife every now and then and opened the buttons of his dress blues, pulling on his collar. Before he knew it he was fingering his wedding ring hanging next to his tags, his mind in overdrive as he tried to work up the courage to go and see Sam in person, instead of watching her from up here, the observation room.

* * *

"General," Janet greeted General Landry as she passed him in the corridor.

"Doctor Fraiser," Hank started, stopping her. "I just went to check on Colonel Carter, but she was still asleep. Could you let me know when she is awake?"

"Of course, Sir. I was just going to do my last round in the infirmary before checking up on her," Janet replied.

Nodding, Hank mumbled a "Thank you" and went to the elevators, glad to finally go home.

Walking into her infirmary, Janet grabbed the chart hanging at the footboard of the first bed. "Ah, Master Sergeant Siler, how is your head feeling now?"

"Better, Doctor," Sly tried to smile, but it hurt too much.

"Well, everything is looking good, I think you can go back to work on Monday. I'll let you get out of here tomorrow and you can recuperate at home for the rest of the week," she smiled, said her goodbyes and moved on to the next bed. "Doctor Lee, I will give you something for your rash and hopefully that will solve your little problem," she handed him a bottle. "If your rash is gone in the morning you can go back to work."

"Thank you, Doctor Fraiser," Bill Lee nodded, while clenching his fists in an attempt not to scratch his aching flesh.

"Well, I should go check on Sam," Janet mumbled to no one in particular and walked up to her room. She silently wondered where the hell Jack O'Neill was, she had hardly seen him all day but Daniel had told her that Jack had gone to get some of Sam's things from the apartment.  _That was at least two hours ago_ , she mused. He should be there for Sam, there was still a chance she would at least recognize her husband… Walking up to Sam's bed, Janet watched her heart monitor. "Hello Sam," she spoke softly and grabbed her chart. "Have you been eating?"

She padded around the room and looked at the less than half eaten meal, before checking Sam's pulse. "I know you're awake."

"How did you know?"

"Your heart rate," Janet simply smiled at her. "You weren't very hungry I take it?"

Sam shrugged and tried to sit up, suppressing the tremors going through her body as she clutched the sheets around her cold body. Sweat was dripping down her back, she could feel it and yet she was freezing at the same time. "I had a few bites, Doctor Jackson forced me," she grimaced, remembering how persisting he had been. "Then I got sick."

"You should call him Daniel," Janet automatically replied. She frowned at her Sam's hand. "Did you put the IV back in yourself when you got back from the bathroom?"

Gritting her teeth, Sam scowled at her. "I didn't make it to the bathroom."

"Oh," she nodded sympathetically.

" _Daniel_ ," putting emphasis on his name, Sam motioned towards the door, "got a nurse and they cleaned it up. God, I'm cold," she shuddered, her teeth chattering as she slid back on the mattress, wrapping the blanket around her tightly.

Janet grabbed the extra blanket at the footboard and tucked it in around Sam's frail body. She knew the cold was due to the withdrawal, but she couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with the fact that she was malnourished and very skinny. Sam had always been slim from all the training and exercise she got from being on the flagship team and that hadn't changed after she was reassigned to Area 51, but now she was almost scarily skinny. Not an ounce of fat on her body, or so it seemed. Fat was supposed to insulate the body, but Sam hardly had any which could also be a reason why she was so cold. Janet glanced back at the chart and decided they should add a few more nutrients to her IV, seeing as Sam kept losing her food there was a chance her body didn't get enough time to process the nutrients. "What are you looking at?"

"These are my tags, right?" Sam asked hesitantly, sneaking her hand from under the covers to the ball chain lying on the side table.

"Yes, do you remember those?" Janet asked hopeful.

She shook her head. "No, I was wearing these…"

Janet gestured from the dog tags to the machines connected to Sam. "I took them off because they kept getting tangled up in the wires."

"Oh," Sam nodded, examining the tags, letting her fingers slide over the letters pressed into them. "What's this?"

"Ah," Janet looked around helplessly, but knew she was just postponing the inevitable. She had talked to her colleague, Dr. Albert King who specialized in amnesia and he had warned her to be careful with Sam. Not to put words in her mouth, but she was allowed to tell her something about her life. After the phone call she and Daniel had talked to General Landry – because Jack O'Neill was nowhere to be found – and they had decided that they would tell Sam about her career, her marriage and a bit about her friends. After all, she had to recover from whatever she had gone through with the help of her husband and friends! "It's your ring."

"I can see that," she said dryly. "Am I married?"

Janet's heart almost stopped beating when she saw Sam's incredulous facial expression, her last hope flying out the window. "Yes," she said slowly, thinking of what would be the best way to tell her.

"Really? Anyone I know?" Sam asked, frowning. "I mean, of course I  _should_  know him, but has he been here? If we're married, shouldn't he be here with me?"

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "Yeah, he's been here…"

Her eyes widened. "Is it  _Daniel_?"  _It would explain why he was so persistent_ , Sam mused, trying to wrap her head around the idea. Somehow, it didn't feel right…

"No, not Daniel," Janet hastened to say, holding up her hands.

"Then who?"

"You were asleep when he was here," she opted to say, not wanting to tell her best friend that they couldn't find her husband now she needed him most, even if she didn't remember him.

"Oh," Sam nodded slowly, still not really understanding. "I want to sleep."

With that, Janet realized, she was dismissed. "Okay, I'll be on base since Cassie is attending college in Nevada there's no need to go home right now, just call me if you need me."

* * *

"Jack, here you are," Daniel exclaimed when he found the older man in the observation room. "We were wondering where you were."

He looked up, worn and tired looking and leaned back in his chair. "I was watching Sam."

"Did you go talk to her already?"

"Nope," he shook his head, his fingers fidgeting with the duffle bag he had placed on the chair beside him a while ago.

Incredulous, Daniel stared at him. "What? Why not?"

"She doesn't remember me," Jack stated in a soft, almost defeated tone.

"You don't know that," he argued, sitting down in a chair as well. "She might-"

"She asked Janet if she was married," Jack looked at his friend.

Shifting uncomfortably, Daniel tried to come up with an explanation. "That doesn't mean she doesn't remember  _you_."

"Oh, cut the crap, Daniel," Jack groaned and rubbed his neck. "She asked who her husband was, even thought for a minute it was you…" he swallowed hard, not wanting to show how much that moment had hurt him. He'd been trying to convince himself to go see her, talk to her all afternoon and the early evening. He'd been about to go when the ol' Doc had come in and Sam had asked her about the ring. He'd gone down four levels to work out his frustrations in the gym, but he hadn't been able to shake the feeling of his heart breaking, hearing Sam talk like that. Realizing it was of no use, he'd taken a shower and went back up to the observation room, contemplating his next move.

"Me?" Daniel sighed and placed a hand on Jack's shoulder. "I'm sorry Jack, after all the two of you went through and now this happens…"

"Yeah," he agreed. "I brought her some stuff from the apartment," he pointed at the bag lying in between them. "Maybe you could give it to her."

"Wha-"

The soft clicking of heels should have been a warning, but both men were too engrossed in their conversation that they hadn't heard Janet Fraiser approach. "I don't think so,  _General_ ," Janet interrupted Daniel. "You should bring it to her, she wants to see you."

"Please, she doesn't even know who I am."

"With all due respect, Sir," she replied, tapping her foot as she crossed her arms. "She's going through something horrible, you should be there for her. She needs you, even if she doesn't know it yet."

"Come on, Janet," Jack tried to argue, not wanting to face the woman he loved that didn't recognize him.

"No, for better or worse Jack O'Neill," Janet simply stated.

"Somehow, I don't think the priest had this in mind," he grunted, rolling his eyes at his defeat. "Fine, I'll go, but don't say I didn't warn you." He knew he needed to see her, make sure she didn't remember him, touch her for a last time…

"At least she knows what marriage is," Daniel tried to be the optimist. "So, are you going to see her?"

"In a bit," Jack made a vague hand gesture, trying to prepare himself.

"Daniel, you want to grab something to eat?" Janet asked, grabbing his arm and practically forcing him to leave with her, understanding that the General needed a moment.

Jack watched them leave and let out a deep sigh, glancing down at the resting form of Sam, knowing she wasn't really asleep. He'd worked with her in the field for seven years, he knew how she slept. They had been sharing a bed since they were reassigned, she had slept in his arms; he knew her breathing better than his own.

* * *

Gnawing her lip, Sam was lying in the bed. She'd been trying to imagine what her life was like, but she couldn't. It was a blank picture, she didn't even know what her husband looked like! She wasn't even sure where she was now, nor where she lived. Cramp in her stomach made her squirm in bed and without thinking, she pulled the wires and the IV out and ran to the bathroom. Heaving in the toilet she tried to get her trembling arms under control, but it was of no use. She slumped down the porcelain and curled up in a ball on the cold floor. When the shivers were running up and down her spine she finally pulled herself using the sink and turned on the faucet to wash her mouth. She startled when she looked in the mirror, rinsed her face and untied her hair, running her hands through it. For some reason, she had a hard time believing that was her staring back at her. She didn't know what she'd expected, but the woman looking back didn't look familiar…

She threw a longing glance at the shower, yearning to feel the hot water run down her aching body but she knew she wouldn't be able to shower on her own. Her legs already started shaking again and she dragged herself back to the bed, grabbing an extra blanket on her way. Yawning, Sam got back under the covers, her stomach almost turning when she smelled the leftovers from her food and she quickly pushed the cart out of reach. She lay back on the mattress, covering herself with the extra blankets trying to get warm.

When she opened her eyes she realized she'd dozed off for a minute. Not long though, she mused as she glanced around. She was burning up now and quickly threw the covers off, silently berating her treacherous body. Her head was pounding and her throat had gone dry from all the heaving all day. "Crap," she exclaimed as she realized all the wires and her IV were hanging over the bed and floor. Slowly turning, she tried to keep herself from going sick again as she reached for the water Janet had left behind. She quickly downed it, enjoying the cold fluid as it seemed to cool her down from the inside and make her throat less dry. As she lay back, her eyes went to observation window. She had this nagging suspicion someone was watching her – had been watching her all day as she kept feeling someone's eyes on her but she couldn't explain where the feeling was coming from. Having had enough, she glared at it.

"Are you going to keep lurking in the shadows or are you going to show your face?"

She suppressed a sigh when she realized she was being ridiculous and rolled her eyes at herself, the slight movement already making her wince. She startled when she heard footsteps approach and cast a glance at the door. Maybe there was really someone there? Sam gulped as the door opened and revealed a tall frame, her heart beating faster in her chest. It wasn't that the body was intimidating in size but it was his presence, she realized as the blood rushed through her veins. She bit her lip as he took a step closer, head slightly cocked to the side and hoped she hadn't insulted this man.

A gasp left her mouth when he stepped into the light and she saw the stars on his shoulders.  _What had Daniel and Janet said again? The general would visit me!_ Oh, and she had insulted him! "Sir," she exclaimed, sitting up straight in the bed without realizing why she was doing it. "I didn't mean to insult you, General," she stammered a bit.

"Sir?" Jack questioned as he stepped closer to her, feeling like his throat might clam up on him all together. He'd been watching her, wondering if he should disturb simply because he wanted to hold her, comfort her while she was going through this hell called withdrawal. Then she had almost looked straight at him and challenged him to come down, making her look more like the Sam he knew.

"The stars," Sam breathed, pointing in the direction of his shoulders.

Stepping closer, he gave her a scrutinizing look. "You remember, Carter?" He reverted to old habits easily when she was looking at him like that, not with the love and desire in her eyes that he had grown accustomed to.

"I-I don't know, Sir," she responded, frowning. Allowing herself to glance up at him, she took in his features. He looked a bit tired, but very handsome, she thought. The dress blues accentuated his lean form and reinforced his natural aura of power, but that could also be attributed to the medals on his chest… Sam felt herself blush as she realized she found him very attractive, even with – or maybe because of – his silver hair and those brown eyes that seemed to be searching her soul for something, anything. Self-consciously, she pulled up the sheets to cover her infirmary gown despite the heat inside of her that had nothing to do with him, she told herself sternly.

"Recognize this?" Jack asked, holding up her duffle bag. He tried to hide his disappointment when she slowly shook her head. "It's yours, it contains some of your personal things," he placed it on the floor at the foot of the bed.

"Thank you, Sir," Sam tried to smile, but failed miserably making her feel even more embarrassed. "I didn't realize it was you up there," she motioned towards the observation window. "I should've known," she mumbled, silently berating herself, "Janet and Daniel told me you would check up on me."

Frowning, Jack sat down on the chair. "They did?"

"Yes," she confirmed, nodding slowly.  _There is something about him_ , she mused, letting her eyes roam his face. His expression was entirely blank, almost like a mask but those eyes of him exuded… sadness? Concern? She couldn't tell and started fidgeting with the blanket. "I, ah… I still don't remember anything," she admitted, somehow feeling the need to talk to him.

"Yeah, I got that," Jack huffed, unable to look her in the eye. She kept staring at him and it wasn't doing anything for his peace of mind, not when those eyes held curiosity and something he couldn't pinpoint… but there was no recognition in them and he decided to leave it at that, for now at least. He almost jumped up to wrap her in his arms when she shuddered almost violently, but stopped himself just in time.

Sam groaned and slipped back under the covers. "I'm sorry, Sir," she mumbled, for some reason compelled to apologize to him. "I'm a bit tired," she yawned.

"Get some sleep, Carter," Jack replied and walked over to the plate of food on the cart. "I'll get rid of this for you-"

"Don't go," she blurted out, quickly clasping her hand over her mouth in shock. "I apologize, I don't know where that came from, Sir," she stated softly, not daring to look at him.

Surprised, Jack plopped back into the chair. "No need, I'll stay until you fall asleep. Don't," he held up his hand as he recognized the look in her eyes when she was about to speak up, "I know what withdrawal is like. Let me get you some water," he got up again and grabbed the jug that was still half full. He needed an excuse and walked to the bathroom and refilled it, trying to steel himself to go back into that room and act like she wasn't his wife and he didn't want to hold her and at the same time, shake her until she would remember! He leaned down, picked up a washcloth from the cabinet and wetted it for Sam, before making his way back.

 


	6. Jack

Bracing himself, Daniel walked into Sam's room, holding a tray with her breakfast. "Good morning, Sam!"

"Daniel," she mumbled as a reply, only opening one eye to acknowledge his presence before closing it again.

His eyebrows rose as she finally addressed him with his first name, instead of calling him Dr. Jackson the entire time. However, he was smart enough not to comment on it because it was obvious she was still in a foul mood. As she usually was around this time, or actually most of the time… He suppressed a sigh and plopped down in the empty chair. "Got you breakfast."

"I'm not hungry," Sam responded, before turning her back on him, curling her body in a ball to keep from shaking.

"You have to eat, Sam," he stated, rolling his eyes as he seemed to keep repeating himself these days.

"No, I don't."

Getting up, he placed the tray on the side table. "I'll leave it right here in case you change your mind."

"Whatever," she mumbled, not looking up. "Where is Janet?"

"Why, do you need medication?" Daniel asked, getting worried. "Are you okay, Sam?"

Ducking her head out of embarrassment, Sam shook her head slightly. "I just really want a hot shower."

"Oh, ah, I see," he stammered. "I'll see if I can find her, if not I'll get a nurse."

Before Sam could protest he was gone already. She really didn't want some stranger fussing over her…  _Daniel and Janet are strangers, too_ , a small voice sounded in her mind. Shaking her head, she got up and tried to fight the nausea. At least she'd gotten some sleep last night. Actually, she felt quite good with the exceptions of the nausea and the tremors. Reaching out, she grabbed a cup of…  _juice?_  Sam scrunched up her nose and quickly swallowed it, immediately regretting it the moment her stomach protested. Quickly laying her hand on her tummy, she tried to calm her treacherous body by controlling her breathing with her eyes closed. All of a sudden, she remembered  _him_ , the General.  _When did he leave?_  She couldn't tell, she'd fallen asleep and although she'd been dreaming – more like nightmares – and tossing and turning, she'd almost slept through the night until Daniel walked in just now…

"Sam, how are you feeling?"

Looking up, Sam saw the petite Doctor coming into the room and gave her a wan smile. "Just peachy, Doc."

Eyebrows raised, Janet stared at her for a few seconds, the answer sounding ridiculously familiar. "You should eat something."

"I know," she groaned, "Daniel told me."

"He said you wanted a shower?" Janet asked gently and, seeing her friend blush, she made her way over to the bed to disconnect the wires and IV before helping Sam to the bathroom. "You just sit down."

Nodding, Sam slumped against the wall and slid down to sit on the floor, her muscles aching she felt exhausted. "Ugh, I'm getting sick again."

As Janet was testing the water she heard Sam scoot over to the toilet and cringed when the blonde started vomiting again. Leaning down, she grabbed her hair to make sure it wouldn't get in her face and rubbed soothing circles on her back with her other hand. "I see you had some juice," she mumbled, scrunching up her nose. She helped Sam up, and flushed the toilet while Sam rinsed her mouth.

"It didn't sit well with my stomach," Sam tried joking as she gripped the sink, her knuckles turning white, fighting another bout of nausea.

"Did you at least sleep well?" Janet inquired as she helped Sam out of her infirmary gown.

"Yeah," she shrugged, "better than before."

"Good."

Stepping into the shower, Sam's hands immediately reached out to the grab bars in case her legs would give out. Enjoying the warmth running over her cold skin, Sam let out a happy sigh. "I could stand here all day," she mumbled.

Chuckling, Janet shook her head. "Somehow I doubt that."

"I mean it."

"Sam," she tried again as she helped her with washing her hair, "you're an Air Force brat, you don't do long showers."

Incredulous, Sam stared at her. "Really?"

"Yeah, now hurry up," Janet motioned.

"Janet," Sam asked as the other woman was grabbing towels for her. "Could you grab some clothes from my bag?"

"Your bag?"

Finishing lathering her body, Sam nodded. "Near the bed."

Janet quickly went out of the bathroom and searched for said bag. She immediately recognized it as Sam's duffle bag, the one she'd use whenever she was sleeping over when Cassie was younger and they'd have a girls' night. Opening it, she grabbed some underwear, a top and shorts, knowing that would be enough. Clothes in hand, she made her way back to the bathroom and helped Sam out of the shower, noting how her footing was still unsteady and although the shaking had subsided, it wasn't completely gone yet. Janet couldn't remember if the tremors of Daniel and the then-Colonel O'Neill had been this bad when they'd been in withdrawal after using the sarcophagus… then again, there was no telling how many times Sam had been using it. If her condition and state of mind were anything to go by, it was a lot more than both men… "I got you your stuff."

Sam took the underwear and quickly put it on, before leaning against the wall. Janet helped her don her clothes and walked her back to the bed.

"Ah, Janet, Sam? Can I come in?"

"Of course Daniel," Janet called to the closed door, before Sam could answer.

Plopping down on the chair next to it, Sam watched as Janet quickly changed the damp sheets and cautiously took a bite of the – by now – mushy cereal and grimaced. "That's gross…"

"Well, it has been there for a while now," Daniel replied, rolling his eyes even though he was happy to see she was trying to eat.

Kicking her bag to the side so Janet could move around the bed to change the IV, Sam climbed up on the bed. "I don't remember the General leaving," she mumbled when she was finally comfortable, remembering he had brought her the bag.

"He said you were asleep when he came by to check up on you," Janet looked at her.

"I thought Jack brought you your bag," Daniel said simultaneously.

* * *

Jack groaned as someone banged on his door and he quickly rolled from the bed, grabbed some spare BDU pants and slipped into them before opening the door. "For crying out loud, Daniel, it's not even 0700 hours."

"I know," he replied, pushing past Jack to walk into the quarters. "I didn't think you'd still be asleep."

Shrugging, Jack made his way back to the bed, closing the door. "I turned in only a few hours ago." In fact, he'd only left Sam's bedside a little under three hours ago.

"Sam was happy with the change of clothes," Daniel offered, sitting down on a chair, trying to think of how to breach the subject.

"Yeah, well, I know how she hates those infirmary gowns."

Taking his glasses in hand, Daniel rubbed his eyes. "I thought you were going to see Sam?"

"I did," Jack mumbled, his voice muffled as he pulled a black shirt over his head. Pulling the piece of clothing over his tags, his chest and stuffing it in his pants, Jack glared at Daniel, daring him to launch another one of his speeches.

Daniel, oblivious to Jack's glare, looked at his hands. "You brought her duffle bag," he stated, not really asking because he already knew the answer.

"I said I would."

"You didn't tell her who you were," he accused his friend. Seeing Jack shrug as if he didn't care, Daniel got up, frustrated and angry. "Dammit Jack, she thought you were Landry, nothing but the base commander checking up on someone on his base!"

Dragging a hand through his hair, Jack started pacing. "What did you want me to do, Daniel?" His voice got louder as he got more frustrated. He had known, he had known Sam didn't recognize him but hearing Daniel say it aloud hurt more than he was willing to admit. "Go up to her, tell her that I was her superior officer and oh yes, I'm also your husband?"

"Well," Daniel sighed, "maybe not like that… but don't you think that Sam deserves-"

"Daniel," Jack groaned, glowering at him. "She didn't even remember she was married, let alone know I'm her husband!"

"Yes, she does," he objected.

"No, she doesn't-"

Turning to him, Daniel crossed his arms and interrupted him. "I told her."

"You told-," Jack reiterated slowly, shaking his head as the meaning of the words sunk in and he broke himself off. "You did  _what_?"

Daniel nodded, smiling a little smug despite Jack's bellowing voice. "Yes, I told her just now, before I got here."

"Why?" he drawled out, his calm voice belying his anger.

"I figured she had a right to know," Daniel frowned. "I honestly don't understand why you're acting like this, Jack. Sam needs you to get through this. And if you're not going to tell her…"

Letting out a deep sigh, Jack scrubbed his face with his hand. How could he explain to Daniel what he didn't understand himself? Seeing Sam looking back at him with no recognition, only pure curiosity and maybe some apprehension when she realized he was a superior officer, had broken his heart. Deep down, he knew his fears about her feelings for him were irrational; she wouldn't have married him if she didn't love him, right? Still, he couldn't seem to stop his own insecurities from reaching the surface now that she had lost her memory, maybe even her personality and there didn't seem to be a thing he could do about it. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt this helpless….

"Jack?"

His head snapped up at Daniel's soft voice and he saw the concern there. "Right," he mumbled, shaking his head to get rid of his depressing thoughts. Clearing his voice, Jack glanced at the floor. "What was her reaction?"

Shifting on his feet, Daniel contemplated his answer. "She was, ah… surprised that you didn't say anything. Er, she wants to see you," he stammered. "That's why I came by."

"Oh," Jack replied, stuffing his hands in his pockets. His sleep was almost gone now, despite the few hours he'd spent in his bed and he knew he should go see her, see his wife. But he didn't know what to say, hell, it had taken him hours to work up the courage to go see her yesterday and that was before she knew who he was. He suspected Daniel was downplaying her reaction to the news and he'd secretly wanted to be there, he now realized, to  _see_  her reaction. Sam had always had trouble hiding her reactions from him and that way he would have  _known_  what she really felt at hearing that she was married to him, Major General Jack O'Neill.

"So, are you going to see her?" Daniel asked, impatiently tapping his foot.

"In a minute," he gruffly admitted, nodding his head slowly. "Just need a shower and some food."

Realizing he was looking for an excuse to brace himself before being confronted with Sam, Daniel understood and slowly walked back to the door. "She's waiting, don't be long."

* * *

Jack silently crept in the observation room and watched as Doc Fraiser took several blood samples from Sam's arm as he stood watching from up above. His eyes roamed his wife's face, looking for something –  _anything_  – familiar.  _God_ , had he missed her, missed that beautiful smile and those blue orbs and now, there didn't seem to be a trace left of the woman he loved.

Yet, he hadn't been able to leave her last night when she'd surprised both of them by asking him to stay with her while she tried to get some sleep. He suspected she was having nightmares, he knew he'd had them after his ordeal with Ba'al and he had never been able to resist her anything.

He told himself he went up here to make sure he wouldn't disturb her in case she was sleeping, but it looked like he didn't have to worry about that with Fraiser and Daniel both there, talking to her. Reaching out his hand from his position against the wall, Jack flipped the switch of the intercom so he could hear them talk.

* * *

"… have them analyzed to see if all of your blood values are restored," Janet told her patient as she held up the tubes containing the blood. "I'm still concerned about some of the hormone levels, even if the rest seems back in balance," she mused aloud.

"Okay," Sam mumbled, fidgeting with her blanket. "Did you talk to… him?" Her voice almost a whisper as she glanced at Daniel.

"Yes," he nodded enthusiastically, trying to lessen her apprehension for when Jack came by. "He was asleep, but will be here in a few."

She nodded, her hands going to her tags as she fingered the ring hanging from there, wondering why  _he_  hadn't told her who he was when he'd come by last night. It did explain why he was willing to stay with her, she thought, remembering how foolish she'd felt when she blurted out her request. He'd been kind and reassured her immediately that he didn't mind, knowing what she was going through. But apparently, he hadn't felt it necessary to tell her they were  _married_! She wondered why, did they not have a good marriage? Or maybe he wasn't interested in her anymore after what had happened… Sam swallowed hard as she thought about it, hadn't they said she'd been gone for almost eight months? Even if she couldn't remember what  _had_  happened or where she'd been all that time, she did know that it was a very long time… perhaps he'd moved on? Silently chastising herself for making assumptions and, even worse, feeling scared and rejected without  _knowing_  this… man, her husband. The General.

"Are you okay, Sam?"

Looking up, Sam saw the worry in the doctor's eyes and she wondered what it was about. "Why?"

Janet gave her a scrutinizing onceover, taking in her pale face and the beads of sweat on her forehead. "Just wondering, I am the CMO, remember?" She tried joking as she glanced at the monitor, registering Sam's vitals.

"Just tired, I guess," she shrugged. "Nausea seems to be gone."

"That's good!" Daniel piped up, happy to hear that she was feeling better.  _Now, we just have to wait for Jack to get here…._

"Anything else?" Janet inquired, feeling like she was leaving something out. "How is your stomach?"

"Better," Sam frowned, rubbing her hand over her breastbone. "My chest feels a bit tight, though."

Concerned, Janet stepped closer. "Like what?"

"I don't know. Like there is pressure on it," she said, hesitantly, trying to determine the vague feeling.

"Are you having a panic attack?" Daniel jumped up from his chair. "Or a heart attack?" he glanced at Janet, looking for reassurance that everything was alright with her.

"I don't know," Sam repeated through gritted teeth. "It's not like I  _remember_  ever having had one of those, but I don't think so."

Turning to Daniel, Janet ushered him out of the room to do a quick examination.

* * *

Jack jumped from his chair at hearing her complaint and immediately felt concern tighten his own chest. Glancing down, he realized Fraiser was doing her exam and quickly ran out of the observation room, needing to know Sam was alright. "Daniel," he greeted the other man standing by the door.

"Jack!" Daniel smiled, glad to see he was finally there. "Wait!"

His voice stopped Jack, his hand about to open the door and he turned to him. "What?"

"Maybe we should wait for Janet to finish her exam," he stammered a bit.

Jack was about to object, saying he was her husband and knew her when he realized that, of course, Sam didn't know him. He sighed and nodded, letting his back rest against the wall. He was about to speak up when the door next to him opened and Janet Fraiser came out of the room. "Doc?"

"Daniel, General," Janet was pleased to see Jack O'Neill was there as well and looked at both of them. "I don't know exactly what is wrong with Sam, but it could be due to stress…"

Hearing her voice trail off, Jack scowled at her. "Stress?" he countered, finding that hard to believe. "You're sure?"

"Well, General," she replied impatiently, "considering she lost her memories and was just told that her husband didn't even introduce himself to her, I think  _stress_  is very reasonable."

"Not a panic attack? Or worse?" Daniel asked, his eyes wide behind his glasses.

"No, just pressure and tenderness," she explained.

Jack nodded, deep in thought and wondered briefly if his behavior was causing Sam pain – if not physical then emotional. Realizing Janet and Daniel were both staring at him, he pointed at the door. "Can I go in now?"

* * *

Staring at the ceiling, Sam mulled over everything that had happened, everything she remembered and came to the conclusion that her mind was just as blank as before. Maybe the doctor –  _Janet_  – was right and she should try to stop worrying so much.  _Yeah, right, easier said than done_ , she huffed to herself. How could she  _not_  worry about not remembering anything? Well, she did remember a few things, like the military ranks and…  _what else?_

She startled when the door opened again and revealed the dark form of the General that had visited her last night, that had stayed with her until she fell asleep… her husband. Her heart started beating faster and she tried to wipe the palms of her hands – which were clammy all of a sudden – to the sheets, stealthily. "Sir," she swallowed hard and tried clearing her throat. "Um, hi."

"Daniel said he told you," Jack stated as he walked up to the bed.

Sam coughed and sat up in the bed, keeping an eye on him as he came closer. He was wearing green BDU pants and a black shirt – the same outfit Daniel was wearing minus the jacket – and yet he didn't look any less impressive than he did in his dress blues. "Told me what?"

Jack squinted at her as he sat on the chair next to her, trying to gauge if she was playing dumb or Daniel had lied to him. Unsure of what to say, he leaned back to hold her blue eyes with his and pulled his dog tags out of his collar.

She cocked her head to the side as she saw him shift somewhat uncomfortable and simply knew he didn't know how to act. It was a strange realization, because if there was anything she wouldn't associate with this man it would be uncertainty. Her eyes slid lower, to his hands fidgeting with his tags. With his  _wedding ring_  and she automatically grabbed hers from where they rested against her heated skin under her tank top. After Janet had done her exam she had grabbed her dog tags and put them around her neck, feeling better with the cold metal resting against her skin where it belongs.

Seeing her copy his behavior, Jack quirked a small smile. "That," he stated simply, holding his ring between his index finger and thumb, using it to point at the ring around her neck.

"Oh," she blushed and licked her lips nervously. "Why didn't you tell me, Sir?"

Jack wasn't sure what he wanted to do more to her; kiss those lips, shake her and tell her to call him by his name or smile at the way she addressed him with one word that held at least ten different meanings. "Dunno," he shrugged, releasing the ring.

"Surely there must be a reason," she responded dryly, fearing that her initial thoughts may be correct; he didn't want her, he had moved on. Sam wasn't sure why that hurt her, considering she didn't even know this man!

"You didn't remember me," Jack spoke softly, trying to stop the hurt from seeping into his voice. "I thought this would make it easier for you."

Her eyebrows shot up at his answer and the small blush on his cheeks and she gripped the ring tighter. "Why would it make it easier? I  _don't_  remember," she stated, putting emphasis on the word. "How would  _not_  telling me help me?"

He cringed at her words, her accusing tone and quickly glanced up to see her eyes staring back at him. They were dark and hard, unfamiliar. Her mouth a tight line as she scowled at him and for a fleeting moment he saw  _his_  Sam, ready to kick anyone's ass and his heart fluttered, before realization sank in again. "The Doc said we couldn't tell you too much, not to put words in your mouth," he countered. "To wait and see if your memory returns. I figured, since you called me 'Sir' that I shouldn't correct you," he concluded lamely.

"What if it didn't?" Sam asked in a soft, almost breathless whisper.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Jack curtly cut her off and stood up to pace around the room, not able to look at her.

"Dammit, just tell me!" she yelled, straightening in her position on the bed.

Surprised by her outburst, Jack turned on his heels to face her. Her blue eyes sparkled with anger and something else –  _sadness?_  – her hand tight around her tags and the ring, knuckles turned white. "Fine," he barked, feeling his frustrations rise to the surface, "if you wouldn't remember, then so be it." His jaw clenched as her eyes widened even further and he felt his nails dig into the palm of his hands as he clenched his fists harder. "You could build your own," he elaborated, holding her gaze.

Sam felt her lower lip tremble as he almost spat out his answer and silently berated herself – how dare she react like this? "I see," she replied in a steady voice, surprising herself.

Jack closed his eyes as he heard the slightly higher-than-normal pitch in her voice and continued pacing the floor, wondering what the hell was happening with them. "Like I said," he tried in a calmer tone, "let's not get ahead of ourselves."

"Why not?" she asked in a tight voice, not sure if she would  _ever_  remember. "We might as well face all the possibilities."

He halted at her words and cocked his head as he looked at her. "That sounds more like the Samantha Carter I know," he mumbled softly, his features softening with the tone of his voice.

Sam gulped and noticed her hands were shaking. Of course he didn't know her, he only knew what she had been before…  _things_  happened. She cast her eyes downward and wondered what she would do if she didn't remember her previous life as she slipped under the covers again, lying back on the mattress. "I'm getting tired," she told him, all of a sudden not feeling confident or comfortable. "If you don't mind, Sir-"

Jack was already near the door as she finished her sentence and silently berated himself for upsetting her, while all he wanted to do was comfort her.

"Wait!"

Hope flared up in him as he halted and glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah Carter?"

"I- I," she stammered, feeling her cheeks burn. "I don't even know, er… your name," she whispered.

Feeling like she'd kicked him in the stomach – or a lower region – Jack closed his eyes. "Jack, it's Jack. Jack O'Neill, two Ls," he added, before he opened the door and left.


	7. Fixing Sam

"So, Dr. King, what can you tell us about Colonel Carter?" Hank Landry asked as everyone was seated around the table.

Jack leaned back in his chair, his casual pose belying his feelings. Doc Fraiser had called in Dr. Albert King, claiming he was specialized in amnesia and considering Sam's condition he – and the President – had approved. Not that the doctor got clearance other than being allowed to visit the infirmary and examine Sam, but he'd been more than willing to help out any way he could – especially after Janet had told him it concerned a friend of hers, seeing as they knew each other from years ago.

"Well," Albert King looked around the table at the anxious faces and shifted somewhat uncomfortably in his chair. It was obvious they all cared a lot about the colonel he'd examined and considering two major generals  _and_  the President of the United States were involved, he could only guess at the importance of her work… he wasn't stupid, it was clear that this wasn't part of NORAD anymore and he also knew that this place didn't exist – at least, he couldn't find it when he google-ed it on his smart phone last night after finishing his examination with the colonel. "I agree with Dr. Fraiser's initial diagnosis, the colonel is clearly suffering from amnesia," he nodded towards the younger woman who used to be one of his students, he was proud to see how far she'd come. "Retrograde amnesia, that is. You see, there are two types of amnesia; re-"

"Yeah, yeah," Jack interrupted him. "We know, the Doc explained that already."

Frowning, Albert looked at Janet Fraiser for a moment but she simply shrugged and nodded for him to continue, as if it was normal for the gruff general to interrupt his explanation. "Right," he cleared his throat, trying to remember what he'd been saying again. "While there are two types of amnesia, both can occur after trauma. However, I've been told that Colonel Carter does remember certain things that occurred since you recovered her, which means that new information is still processed properly and thus indicates that she only suffers from retrograde amnesia. Next to that there are different types of memory," he explained, looking around the table to make sure everyone understood. "Are there things or events she recalled without being told about it?"

"Yes," Daniel piped up. "She remembered some military things and recognized the chain of command. Plus she still knows concepts like marriage," he saw Jack flinch at that and berated himself for stating it so bluntly. "And other every day things."

"I see," he rubbed his chin. "Like I said, different types of memories. What you were describing Dr. Jackson is what is referred to as semantic memory. Together with episodic memory – autobiographical events – it forms a major division of memory called declarative memory. One of the other divisions is procedural or implicit memory. Putting it simple, procedural memory is for how we do things, using your motor and cognitive skills to ride a bike, getting dressed or, in the case of the AF," he grinned a bit, "how to fly a plane. Of course, I couldn't test the latter with Colonel Carter, but her procedural memory seems in order. However, I would like to ask you to test some of her more complex skills since you know her background."

"Well, we can hardly put a gun in her hands and ask her to shoot the target without knowing if she understands," Jack rolled his eyes.

"Jack," Daniel admonished him, scowling. "Please continue Dr. King."

"Perhaps she plays a musical instrument?" Albert offered, knowing that procedural and implicit memory was needed to perform such a task without having to think about every movement. Seeing some of the people shake their head, he looked back to Janet Fraiser. "From what I can tell is that Colonel Carter's episodic memory is affected, considering you told me she is unable to recall autobiographical events."

"Yes, that is true," Janet confirmed.

"What about the last eight months?" Hank asked both – medical – doctors. "She doesn't remember anything from where she was or what happened during that time."

"Well," Albert glanced at Janet, "that is probably due to head trauma," he stated cautiously.

"Right," Jack narrowed his eyes and scowled at the man. "That would explain it all if there would actually be, oh I don't know,  _head trauma_."

"Sir," Janet stated in her doctor's voice, but he simply shrugged at her.

Getting uncomfortable again due to the man's hostility, Albert King shifted in his chair as his hands fiddled with the manila folder in front of him. "I understand your reluctance to believe me, General O'Neill, but there is a good chance the head trauma has healed – improperly – in the time the colonel has been gone. Or," he shifted his eyes from Janet to the gruff general.

"Or," Janet took over, "she doesn't  _want_  to remember, Sir."

Hearing the Doc's soft tone, Jack nodded. He knew what she meant; if Sam was traumatized there was a good chance she was suppressing the memories of the time she was missing. Knowing Ba'al, Jack knew it was more than likely. How many times had he been trying to forget what Ba'al had done to him?

"However," Albert King decided to get back to his previous point as he cleared his throat. "It's not very common for a patient to only have their episodic memory affected. Now, I know," he held up his hand as several people were about to object, "that I don't have the clearance to know what happened. For the moment, all I can suggest is that you try to stimulate her procedural memory and perhaps take her to places that are – or were – important to her to try and jog her memory. Again, I must urge you to _not_ place words in her mouth but you can answer questions certain questions she has."

"Dr. King has already provided me with a list," Janet continued where her old mentor left off. "We have agreed that we will observe Sam for the next two weeks and then I will contact him again, to discuss her progress."

"Thank you for your help, Doctor," Hank stood and shook the man's hand.

"It was no problem at all," Albert smiled and nodded to the others.

Jack jumped from his chair as well. "I guess I'll be checking on my wife then," he mumbled and took off, not feeling like thanking the doctor since he hadn't actually helped them in any way.

Daniel watched his retreating back and sighed. "We really are grateful," he told Janet's friend. "Jack is just going through a rough time and he doesn't really like scientists."

"Ah," Albert nodded. "The colonel… she's his wife?"

"Yeah, maybe I should have told you before," Janet replied, leading him out of the briefing room.

"Did she remember him?"

"No, I'm afraid not…"

* * *

Opening the door, Jack silently walked into Sam's room. She was still asleep, he noted and he sighed, plopping down on the chair next to the bed. They hadn't gotten much further with the other Doctor, he pretty much confirmed what ol' Doc Fraiser had already told them…. He watched his wife as her hands twitched on top of the sheet. Yesterday they had taken her off the heart monitor, because the last few days everything seemed to be back to normal – with the exception of her memory loss of course – and now only the IV was still inserted. Luckily, the tremors had mostly subsided as well with only a few when she was getting tired.

Jack leaned forward and placed the bowl of blue jello he'd gotten from the commissary on her side table. Daniel had told him Sam still didn't eat much, even though he kept bringing her breakfast every morning. She would usually tell him she wasn't hungry or eat only a little bit, sometimes she got sick and threw up but that happened less frequently, for which Jack was thankful. The last few days Jack himself had been busy with Homeworld Security tasks, although he was allowed to perform his function as Director from the SGC by the President and thus he usually came in late while Sam was already asleep and he'd stay with her, knowing she was safe and he could be there for her in case she woke up from another one of her nightmares. So he usually turned in pretty late – or early, depending on your point of view – which led to Daniel bringing her breakfast.

"Jack," Sam murmured sleepily when she opened her eyes and saw him – her  _husband_  – sitting there, obviously deep in thought.

Surprised, Jack looked at her and he could feel his pulse race when she smiled at him with  _that_  smile, the one she usually reserved for him. "Hey," he whispered, grinning back at her. He hadn't been sure what kind of welcome he'd be receiving after the last 'conversation' they'd had three days ago, but it certainly wasn't this.

Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, Sam slowly sat up and looked at him. She hadn't seen him in three days and was afraid she'd scared him off after the way they'd ended their little argument, but Daniel had told her that Jack had checked up on her when she was asleep… still, that wasn't the same.  _Although, it might explain why I've been sleeping better these days_ , she mused. Slightly embarrassed over her own train of thought –  _as if having a stranger who you apparently are married to by your bed will help you sleep better_  – she tried to think rationally and decided it was because the symptoms were diminishing. Janet had told her last night that it looked like the withdrawal was almost complete, but that it didn't mean everything was okay. She was still worried about some of her hormones, because apparently that was the only thing that hadn't gone back to normal yet. "I, ah…" she cleared her throat before glancing at him again. "I-I,"  _missed you_ , "I'm glad to see you again," she said instead, chastising her own thoughts. She couldn't miss someone she didn't really know, could she?

Jack's heart fluttered a bit when she ducked her head to try and hide the blush he could see creep up her neck and he smiled at her. "Doc Fraiser said you were doing better," he said, not wanting to scare her off by telling her how much he missed her even if he was here every night.

"Yeah," Sam nodded and fidgeted with the blanket. "She's just a bit worried about some hormones," she shrugged. Not wanting him to leave yet, she felt like she should say something, keep the conversation going. "She brought a colleague with her last night, to ask me some questions…."

Seeing her grimace, Jack automatically reached out and patted her hand. "I know, he specializes in amnesia and filled us in this morning." He was surprised she didn't pull her hand back from his and slightly squeezed it before he let go. "Daniel was still in the briefing room so I decided to get you something to eat."

"Oh," she replied, immediately feeling the loss of his warm, calloused hand on hers. "I'm not really hungry," although she  _was_  happy that it was him that brought it to her, instead of Daniel. She's been  _this_  close to biting Daniel's head off yesterday as he kept hovering and annoying her with his behavior. Sam knew he was only trying to help her, but it was really working on her nerves and she thought he might have – finally – noticed and perhaps that's why he wasn't here yet.

"Don't worry," Jack made a dismissive gesture with his hand, "it's not that crap Daniel usually brings…. Just don't tell Fraiser, okay?"

She couldn't help it but giggle at his soft pleading, not to mention how he knew that the food that Daniel brought was… not very tasty. "I won't, I swear."

"Good," he smiled and reached for the bowl of jello. "Try this," he handed it to her and pulled a spoon from his pocket.

"Jello!" Sam grinned and eagerly stuffed a spoonful in her mouth. "Oh yeah," she moaned as she chewed it before swallowing, "definitely better than those mushy cereals."

"Thought so," Jack coughed, trying to cover the effect her little moan had on his voice and shifted on his chair. "At least this way you'll eat something," he mumbled as his eyes took in her skinny figure covered by the sheets, but skinnier than he remembered nonetheless.

"Yeah," she replied between bites, "I love jello, especially blue."

"I know," he nodded, "even if red is better."

"It's not," she frowned at him and placed the empty bowl back on the side table.

"It is," Jack insisted, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "Let's just blame it on your memory loss, huh?"

Cocking her head, Sam wondered for a minute if he was serious, before she noticed the twinkle in his dark brown eyes. A small smile played around her lips and she was amazed that she felt so comfortable around him, around most of them actually even if Daniel could annoy her at times. "You remembered I love blue jello," she stated softly, gazing at him.

"I did," he tried to hold her blue sparkling eyes to his, before she looked away.

"Therefore I must've preferred the blue over the red, before… you know," she ducked her head, not yet feeling comfortable enough to breach the subject of her apparent abduction nor the effect it had on both of them.

Jack simply smiled at her, enjoying the moment. "I have to go," he said reluctantly and got up from the chair.

"When will you get back?" Sam tried to keep the clinginess from her voice, but wasn't sure she succeeded when he raised an eyebrow. She didn't want him to go yet, she wanted to know more about herself, him and their marriage.

He studied her face, watching the play of emotions –  _curiosity and maybe even disappointment?_  – and reached behind him. "I thought you might get bored," he shrugged and handed her a bag containing his handheld and some other things.

Sam frowned at the gadget and other items but took it nonetheless, knowing he'd have to come back to get it if she kept it. Besides, she might even enjoy it… or could use it as an excuse when Daniel was trying to keep her company. "Um… thanks."

"Think nothing of it," he grinned at her as he walked – backwards – towards the door, the empty bowl of jello in his hand before Fraiser would see it. "Goodbye Carter."

"Bye Jack," she smiled a little and then he turned and left.

* * *

"Hey Sam," Daniel greeted her as he entered the room. "Did you have breakfast already?"

"Yes," she nodded and glanced at the clock, knowing it was closer to lunch than breakfast. "Jack brought me some."

Daniel tried to suppress his shock when she told him – he knew Jack had purposely been avoiding her while she was awake – and then noticed the small blush on her cheeks.  _This is good news_ , he smirked to himself. "Good," he nodded and took a seat. "Janet said she'd be here in an hour or so."

"Oh, okay," Sam reached for the cup of water and took a sip. "Is she busy?"

"Yeah, an emergency," he figured he shouldn't tell her about the off world teams until she remembered – or was informed – about the exact work they did. "Why, do you want to take another shower?"

"Ah," she shifted on the bed, "I was thinking about it but I can do it myself, I don't need help."

"Really, that's great," Daniel smiled, glad to hear that apparently her strength was coming back and the tremors had subsided.

"Yeah, she even said that maybe I can get out of here soon," Sam elaborated, unable to contain her excitement at the prospect. Not that she knew where she'd be going, but this room and being confined to the bed was really getting on her nerves. She'd been too afraid to talk to Jack about it, not wanting to push him.

Clasping his hands, Daniel's grin grew even wider. "That's really good news." He wondered why no one had told him yet, but figured Jack didn't know – otherwise he would have heard about it – and he hadn't been able to get Janet alone for long enough this morning. Now the real question was what Jack's reaction to all of this was going to be, considering his behavior towards Sam. Although it seemed to have improved, to say that he'd been surprised when Jack had muttered something about visiting Sam after the briefing would be an understatement. And Sam didn't seem too upset by the visit – quite the opposite actually – which was a good thing. He was about to say something when he heard the klaxons and Walter's voice over the PA asking him to come to the control room.

"Ah, sorry Sam, I have to go," he grimaced and got up.

Sam simply shrugged. "It's okay, I can entertain myself," she mumbled, grabbing the bag Jack had left her and, holding it upside down, let the contents fall on the covers.

"What's that?" Daniel inquired, his curiosity piqued. "Did Jack give you that?"

"Yes," she gave him a small smile as he nodded and did a little wave with his hand before moving to the door.

She fumbled around some of the things, grabbing the larger, heavy box and put it back in the bag. She'd look at it later, now she needed some mental stimulation she thought as she grabbed the handheld and turned it on. An annoying sound broke the silence in the room and she fumbled around until she found the mute button. Looking at the menu – the name of the game didn't ring a bell – she chose 'help' and read the instructions. Nodding to herself, Sam exited the menu and started a new game, ready to find out why this game was so appealing to Jack.  _Maybe I used to play it too?_

The game had barely started when the screen went blank. Groaning, Sam shook the handheld but when that didn't help she turned it around, trying to see if perhaps the batteries had died. She figured just switching them around might help, but again it didn't and she was left with Jack's dead handheld. Frustrated, she looked into the bag to see if perhaps he'd given her new batteries too. "Crap," she muttered when she couldn't find them. She couldn't believe herself; she hadn't even wanted to play this stupid game but now that it didn't work she was getting angry with it! Determined to play the damn game, she tried to open the casing. There were a few screws placed strategically around the edges and they were too small for her to pry open with her fingers or nails – not that they weren't long enough… for a minute she wondered when she'd clipped them last.

"Damn, stupid thing," she was getting more and more frustrated – even more than she'd been with Daniel yesterday – and was  _this_  close to throwing the damn thing against the wall. The only thing that stopped her was that Jack had given it to her and he obviously wanted her to relax.  _Hmm, I wonder if it actually is Jack's or perhaps it would be mine?_  Somehow, she couldn't imagine herself using a handheld on a daily basis although the cause of why it was malfunctioning intrigued her. She barely stopped herself from slamming it on the side table and instead laid it down carefully. Her movements, however, had put the bag closer to the edge and before she could grab it, it fell to the ground, scattering the contents to the floor.

"Great, just great," she muttered as she threw back the covers and swung her in shorts-clad legs over the edge. Slipping from the bed she started collecting the few items, but was getting crankier by the second when she found the larger box under her bed. Letting out a deep sigh, she lay down on her belly to reach for it and was dismayed when the lock had cracked from the impact of the fall. "Cheap junk," she couldn't help but scowl at the damn thing as she held it in both hands. Testing whether the lock mechanism was still functioning properly she opened it gently. "Of course it isn't," she said to no one in particular.

Getting up, Sam placed the bag and the box on the bed, contemplating whether to place the box back in the bag. Maybe she should keep it on the night stand? Glancing at its contents, an idea struck her.

* * *

"T, good to see you," Jack cheered as soon as the Jaffa came from the wormhole.

"O'Neill, Daniel Jackson, General Landry," Teal'c bowed his head slightly in a greeting and handed his staff weapon off to one of the SFs. "Master Bra'tac informed me of your message."

"Teal'c, I'm glad you could get here so soon," Daniel replied as his friend got off the ramp.

Raising an eyebrow, Teal'c turned towards his two Tau'ri friends. "The moment I was informed my presence was required because of Colonel Carter's return I secured a death glider to reach the nearest stargate."

Jack was slightly surprised by the elaborate answer but shrugged it away, blaming it on the guy's excitement to see Carter again.

"What, ah, did Master Bra'tac tell you exactly?" Daniel inquired, needing to know whether Teal'c knew of Sam's amnesia.

The corners of his mouth drooped slightly when Teal'c turned to face O'Neill. "That her physical condition was improving and yet she was unable to access her memories."

"Yeah, about that Teal'c," Jack started as he clasped the larger man's shoulder. "There's a good chance she won't, uh… recognize you."

"I am aware."

Daniel followed them to the blast doors, trying to catch up. "Oh and General Landry asked if you could debrief him about the situation with the Ba'al clones and your hunt."

"Very well," he dipped his head slightly. "After I have spoken to Colonel Carter."

"Of course," Jack agreed, "he knows. Hell, I have to be there for the briefing according to the President, so…."

* * *

Sam awoke from her slumbering as she heard heavy footsteps nearing her bed and for a moment, she felt frightened but quickly shook it off and blamed her most recent nightmare. Like all the nightmares that plagued her she couldn't recall them after waking up, she wasn't even sure if she was actually seeing things during the dreams but she could feel everything so clearly until she would wake, her skin covered in a sheen of sweat and trying to catch her breath. "Daniel," she mumbled sleepily as she saw him approach.

"Sam, did we wake you?"

"Yes, but it's okay, it wasn't a particularly good dream," she sat up in the bed and looked around to find the source of the heavy footsteps.

"Colonel Carter," Teal'c stepped out of the shadows after ascertaining they were not unwelcome.

"Ah, Sam, this is Teal'c, he's a-"

"Friend," Sam finished for him and, seeing Daniel's excitement held up her hand. "Lucky guess, Daniel," she stated dryly. "Besides, I doubt you would bring my worst enemy to see me."

"I was most unpleased to learn of your condition," Teal'c spoke soft, yet was undeterred by her lack of recognition.

"You and me both," she huffed, rolling her eyes. It was strange, but she got this… weird feeling from Teal'c. Almost as if her instincts were telling her she could trust him, like she had started to trust Daniel, Janet and even Jack. "Nice of you to drop by."

"Undomesticated equines could not keep me away from visiting you, Colonel Carter."

Her eyebrows rose in surprise, but Sam merely nodded. "Um… thanks."


	8. Progress

Glancing around the table, Hank Landry decided they could start the briefing. Turning to Teal'c he raised his brows. "So…?"

Teal'c merely raised a brow of his own in confusion, before looking at O'Neill. "O'Neill."

"He, ah," Jack shifted his eyes from Teal'c to Landry and back, "wants to know what happened since we last had contact. Or better said, when you contacted Major Thompson and informed him of the ring transport after which you went after Ba'al's ship."

"I see," he inclined his head slightly. "We pursued the two ha'tak vessels as they proceeded to evade capture by engaging in hyperdrive, in an effort to overtake or capture the last of the System Lords Ba'al or one of his clones."

Waiting for his Jaffa friend to proceed, Jack doodled on the notepad balancing on his knee and reached for his glass of water with his free hand. Taking a sip, he placed the glass back and looked up when the silence remained. "And…?"

"The Free Jaffa acquired one of the ha'tak vessels," the corners of his mouth drooped slightly, "however, the primary target escaped."

"So… no Ba'al?" Hank inquired, making sure he got it right.

"Indeed."

"Or one of his clones?" Jack asked, forgetting all about his doodling.

"Did I not state that, O'Neill?"

Shrugging, he looked at him. "Yeah, you did, T. Just double checking, you know."

Raising his brow, Teal'c held his gaze. "I see."

"Well, I guess it would have been too good to be true if you had been able to capture him – or a clone –  _and_  have Colonel Carter back," Hank concluded, wondering if Teal'c was always this succinct while debriefing. They hadn't even been here for fifteen minutes! "Luckily Colonel Carter is in relatively good physical shape, so I'm more than happy with the results of this joint mission."

"You're right, Hank," Jack confirmed, getting up as the briefing was over as far as he was concerned. It was getting late and he'd hardly seen Sam – after greeting Teal'c in the gate room he had a video conference to attend and hadn't been able to go see her before Landry had called him for this debriefing.

Following his lead, Teal'c got up and with four long strides caught up with his brother in arms by the exit. "O'Neill, I apologize for being unable to seek retri-"

"No need, T. You did the best you could, you got yourself and the other Free Jaffa another mothership and maybe even more Jaffa to join you."

"The Jaffa aboard the ha'tak vessel swore allegiance to Ba'al," Teal'c replied in disgust.

Jack's eyebrows rose at the contempt in his voice and he started walking towards the elevators, knowing Teal'c would follow. "Even after their supposed God fled the scene and saved his own butt?"

"They know of his true nature and yet remain loyal."

"Oh," Jack stopped and pressed the elevator button. "What did you do to them?"

"We left them on a planet with no stargate or other means of transportation," he elaborated. He was repulsed by their loyalty to a Goa'uld, after they have been used as slaves for many centuries and yet was unable to murder his fellow Jaffa in cold blood.

Jack smirked as the doors opened and he entered the car. "Excellent, let's see if their precious leader will come and get them."

"Indeed, Rak'nor has cloaked an alkesh in the shadow of the closest moon."

Rocking on his feet, Jack impatiently waited for the doors to close as Teal'c joined him.

"O'Neill, do you not intend to visit Colonel Carter?"

"Just need to make a quick stop in the commissary, I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast due to those damn video conferences."

* * *

"Janet, when can I get out of here? I'm bored," Sam rolled her eyes at the petite doctor.

Chuckling at her friend's impatience, Janet unwrapped the sphygmomanometer from her arm and wrote the values of her blood pressure on the Colonel's chart. "Your hormones still aren't back to their usual values, although the rest of your vitals look good, very good. You made a quicker recovery than I'd hoped-"

Turning to face her, Sam smiled. "So I can get out of here?"

"Not yet, Sam," she shook her head. "I want you to take these again," she handed Sam her usual contraceptive pills. "Hopefully they'll restore your balance." She knew that Sam and General O'Neill had been thinking of starting a family, because Sam had talked to her about it. Or rather told her about a hypothetical case – a former Goa'uld or Tok'ra host whose symbiote died inside their body in her mid-thirties who wanted to have a child – and asked her opinion. Seeing that her best friend was obviously struggling with this precarious situation she'd decided not to comment on the 'hypothetic' nature and had told her what she wanted to know. After which she had gently inquired about her sudden engagement to a certain general and Sam had told her that she simply wanted to be informed in case they decided to have a family, realizing Janet had seen right through her.

Janet was no fool, she knew that Sam and General O'Neill would want children – eventually – and was aware of the fact that Sam was stationed in Nevada now, not on the front lines anymore and wouldn't need to ask permission to stop birth control or stop gate travel once she would be pregnant. However, she also knew that right now Sam didn't even remember her husband – although there seemed to be progress in the way they interacted – let alone think about having kids.

"If they do, I can leave?"

She was about to ask if she was in a hurry to go somewhere, when Janet realized what she'd been about to say!  _Way to go, Janet, as if she's not having enough problems to deal with!_  Chastising herself, she nodded slowly. "I'll think about it. Let's not get ahead of ourselves and just wait to see if it will work."

Letting out a deep sigh, Sam swung her legs from the bed. "If that was all…?"

"Why, you have other plans?"

Sam grinned and jumped from the bed, glad that she wasn't as weak as a few days before and could move around freely. "I want to take a shower. Oh, is there a nail clipper around here somewhere?"

"There is one in the bathroom," Janet replied, gesturing towards the door. "Let me take out the IV. Have you been throwing up lately?"

"Not since two days ago," Sam almost cheered, happy that she was finally able to keep her food down. "Haven't been eating much yet, though," she frowned and seeing Janet's facial expression, she quickly continued. "Just because I'm not very hungry yet. I ate the breakfast Jack brought me, though!"

"That's good to hear," she smiled. "You know what? If you promise me you'll keep eating and drinking, I'll take the IV out and we'll see how that goes, okay?"

Bobbing her head, Sam quickly pulled it out herself. "Done, now can I get a shower?"

"Sure," Janet shook her head, but refrained from commenting. She was simply happy to see that Sam seemed to get better.

* * *

When Jack slipped into Sam's room he was somewhat surprised to find it empty. The sheets were rumpled and the IV was removed, as well as the heart monitor and other equipment! Quickly walking around the bed to make sure Sam hadn't fallen out or something, he still wasn't reassured. He was about to walk up to Fraiser's office to ask her where the hell his wife was, when he heard a noise coming from the bathroom. Silently berating himself for his slight panic attack, Jack walked over to the door to find it unlocked. Contemplating his next move, he eventually decided to knock before barging in. "Sam?"

He heard a muffled "Jack?" and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding at hearing her voice. "What'cha doing?"

Before he could blink the door was pulled open and he was standing face to face with Samantha Carter-O'Neill. Her hair was combed back but obviously still wet, her cheeks were pinkish from the shower and she was wearing some of the clothing items – a short and top – that he'd brought her. The steam was still trapped in the small bathroom and the heat hit him like walking into a wall. Instinctively, Jack took a step back and gave Sam another onceover.

"I was, ah," she bit her lip and waved over her shoulder, "just getting dressed and combing my hair after taking a shower."

Clearing his throat, Jack took a few more steps backwards so she could walk passed him. "Yeah, I figured," he replied lamely, staring at her shapely six when she went over to the bed.

Giving him a small smile from the bed, Sam fidgeted with the blankets, trying to think of something to say for the second time that day. "Janet said everything was looking good," she tried and waited for him to come over to the bed, before she continued. "As long as I keep eating and drinking I don't need the IV anymore."

"Sweet," he smirked and sat down. "So, are you eating and drinking?"

She blushed and swallowed. "I ate the blue jello you gave me this morning-"

"Carter," he groaned, interrupting her. "How many times do I have to tell you that blue jello is not a meal?"

"-and one of the nurses brought me dinner about two hours ago. But it wasn't very tasty and I wasn't really hungry, so I didn't eat much of it," she continued, ignoring his interruption.

"Oh," Jack leaned back in his chair and watched her until she looked up from under her lashes. "I hear you met Teal'c?"

"Apparently, I already know him," she rolled her eyes, still frustrated by her lack of memory.

Understanding and sharing her frustration, Jack simply nodded and leaned back. Noticing his handheld and the larger box he'd given her on her side table, he reached out and grabbed the handheld before turning it on. "Have you tried playing?" he asked in an innocent tone, avoiding her eyes purposely.

Sam frowned at him and tried to force him to look at her – how she wasn't sure – but he didn't look up. "Yes," she said slowly, trying to draw a response from him by staying silent. She wasn't sure if he was playing her or not, because she might not have her memory but her instinct told her he liked to yank people's chain.

"And…?"

Glancing at the clock, Sam wondered how long she could stay quiet until he would look at her or say something else. However, the silence was pressing on her and she absentmindedly rubbed her hand over her breastbone, still feeling some of that pressure she had told Janet about. "And I really hate that tune," she replied, not taking the bait.

Jack smiled, he remembered how she had thrust headphones at him the first time he'd started playing the game in her presence – back when she was still his 2IC. "Really?"

"Yes," she spoke through gritted teeth. "There's a mute button, right there," she leaned forward and tried to press it when he swatted her hands away – belying his concentration at the game since he didn't even look up.

"I know, I need to hear it so I know when I score," he smirked and dared a quick glance at her face. She looked kind of pissed, he mused.  _Totally hot…._

"Jack," Sam rolled her eyes and wondered if he was always like this. "Could you please turn it off?"

"Why?"

"Because it's working on my nerves," she replied. It was tempting to tell him to simply shut it off or go play somewhere else, but she didn't want him to leave yet, even if he was being an ass.

"Oh," he pressed 'pause' and straightened in his chair, looking at her directly. "How could you play it without the sound?"

"I tried to play," she decided to just be frank so he might be too. Plus he'd been playing a lot longer already than she had before the screen went black and he didn't seem worried or anything. Maybe he really didn't know?

"And…?"

Letting out a sigh, she shrugged. "The screen went blank within a few minutes," she admitted.

"Really?"

 _Okay, he knew_ , Sam thought to herself, hearing the fake-surprise in his tone. "Yes, really."

"Huh," Jack cocked his head. "Yet it's still working. Maybe you pressed the wrong button?"

"I'm not an idiot," she said dryly, glaring at him. "It's still working because I fixed it."

"I knew you would," he smirked and turned off the handheld; he wasn't interested in playing the game but he'd wanted to check – and hear – that she'd fixed it, that she knew how to! "I take it you went through the things I gave you?"

"You simply assumed I'd fix it," Sam asked, making it sound more like a statement than a question.

"Yeah sure, you betcha," he gave her his lopsided grin, happy that she'd  _known_  how to fix it even if she couldn't remember other things. "Why else would I give you the box with your tools?"

"Those are my tools?" She asked, stunned. "I fix things?"

"Yep, they're yours," he nodded. He noticed her scowl followed by a muttered "Crap" and leaned forward, grabbing her hand. "What is it, Sam?"

"The lock broke," she shrugged.

Raising an eyebrow, Jack held her gaze and gestured towards the box. "You broke the mechanism to open it?"

"No, it fell on the floor," she sighed and rolled her eyes. She'd already felt bad about breaking someone's – probably Jack's she'd assumed at the time – property but now she felt downright careless, breaking her own stuff like that!

Jack let go of her hand and grabbed the box to examine the lock. "Looks like not even you can fix that without replacing it," he grimaced. "I never thought I'd live to see the day that Samantha Carter would break one of her own things!"

"What?"

Chuckling, he shrugged. "Well, you were always telling me to stop fiddling with your doohickeys because you were scared I'd break something."

"I did?"

"Yeah, for years! You were quite rude about it, actually," he joked, smiling at her.

"I fix things?" Sam asked again, having trouble picturing herself as a handyman…

"Sort of," Jack replied vaguely, unsure of what he was supposed to tell her.

Lying back in her bed, Sam rolled her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"That you fix things, you-"

"I'm a handyman?" She asked, not able to keep some of the loathing out of her voice.

Jack laughed aloud at her tone, unable to keep a straight face. "No!"

Getting frustrated –  _how dare he laugh at me while I don't remember anything?_  – she snapped. "Then what?"

"You're a genius," he gave her a warm smile, trying to be serious again. "A national treasure, really."

Surprised at the honesty, pride and something she couldn't quite pinpoint Sam gaped at him. "What?"

"Yeah, you see, you know everything; how something works, how to fix something you've never even seen before or how to reverse engineer some equipment."

"I do?"

Jack simply nodded as he leaned back to look at her. She looked utterly confused – and very sad – and he felt for her.  _What the hell_ , he told himself, _I can't stand it when she's upset_. "Yes, you used to be on a team with me, Daniel and Teal'c. We went, er… _places_  and tried to find new technology."

"Just like that?" She asked skeptically. "I doubt we were very successful, it's not like there's technology just lying around…"

"Well," Jack decided to simply tell her. Screw the Docs and their advice; he was the head of Homeworld Security and he thought it would be better if they didn't lose such an asset as Lieutenant Colonel Carter – not to mention seeing his wife like this was simply breaking his heart. "Maybe not  _here_ , but-"

Scrunching up her nose, she gave him an askant look. "Then where?"

"Oh, you know, another planet," he shrugged as if it was nothing. Actually, to  _them_  it was nothing!

Sam blinked a few times, wondering if she'd heard that correctly. "Did you say another planet?"

"Yeah sure, you betcha," he winked at her.

"Oh," she gnawed her lip. "I thought we didn't have spaceships advanced enough to travel at least-"

"Ack!" Jack interrupted her, holding up his hand.

"What?" She asked, startled at his loud voice.

Realizing that maybe that wasn't the best approach, he smiled bashfully. "No techno babble, Carter."

"Yes Sir," she smirked at him, somehow this felt familiar to her. She actually liked how he would call her 'Carter' at times, almost as if it was out of habit and yet it sounded like an endearment.  _But it's probably not meant like that_ , she berated herself.

"But to answer your question; no, we don't use spaceships for that… you see," he glanced around and got up, knowing he'd seen a fruit basket around here and grabbed an apple when he finally found it. "We found this device years ago – ask Daniel if you want details-"

"No thanks," Sam whispered, smiling as she gently interrupted him.

Answering her smile with one of his own, Jack went back to his chair and sat down. "This device connects to one on a different planet," he held up his hand when he saw she was about to open her mouth. "Wait, just let me try and explain, okay? See if I remember correctly from all the times you tried to explain this to me," he smirked.

Giggling softly, Sam gestured for him to proceed and leaned back in her pillow; all ears.

"So, um… imagine the galaxy as an apple, right?"

"Okay…"

He noticed her little frown and held up the apple. "Using these devices we burrow our way through the apple like a worm, crossing from one side to the other instead of going around the outside. Ack, don't interrupt me," he scowled at her. "I'm on a roll here, okay?"

Suppressing a smile, she nodded. "Sorry, go on."

"The diameter of the apple is a representation of," Jack stopped, thinking of what she'd been trying to tell him years ago.

"A two-dimensional representation of space-time," she filled in, smiling.

"Right," he nodded. "I knew that, you shouldn't have interrupted me," he scowled at her playfully. "You confused me and I forgot what I wanted to sa-Wait, what? How do you know what I was about to say?"

"I know what a wormhole is," she rolled her eyes at his incredulous expression. "I mean, the hole isn't a hole per se, but an interdimensional conduit-"

"Carter!"

"Jack?"

"You remember what a wormhole is," he reiterated her earlier words, still stunned and feeling hope flare up.

"Yes," she drawled out, waiting for him to process this. "So I'm assuming we used the chaapa'ai to create wormholes so we could look for technology on these other planets?"

"What?" Jack stared at her, wondering what the heck happened since now and a few minutes ago.

"Chaapa'ai," Sam repeated, nodding slowly. "Ah, err… a portal to the stars? A gate-"

"Stargate."

Sam shrugged, glad that he was finally snapping out of it. "If that's what you want to call it…."

"That  _is_  what we – and you – call it," Jack told her, getting up from his chair and scrubbing his face in frustration. "I should get the Doc, tell her about this. How do you  _know_  this, Sam?"

"I-I don't know," she stammered a bit and looked at him, gnawing her lip. "I just do… I thought you'd be happy I remembered something," she whispered, ducking her head.

"I am," he hastened himself to say and quickly walked over to her side of the bed, reaching out to cup her cheek forcing her to look at him. "I am happy you remember something," he repeated, trying to control his racing heart, all the while searching for an explanation as to why she'd remember this and yet not know the name they used for it but a term of the Goa'uld…. "It's just a bit of a surprise," he tried to reassure her when her blue orbs looked suspiciously shiny. "I'll go talk to the Doc, why don't you get some rest," Jack concluded and found himself leaning down towards her face. Realizing at the last moment that he shouldn't be kissing her when she was upset and without her memory – not to mention stare at him with huge eyes as if she was afraid of him – he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Get some rest," he placed his fingertips at her lips. "I promise I'll be right back."


	9. Sleeping

Stalking through the corridors, Jack went looking for Janet. According to one of the nurses she'd just left the infirmary and he knew she wasn't going home yet, she'd made a habit of staying on base since they'd found Sam and as long as Cassie was at college. He was still confused of what had just transpired. How the hell did Sam remember the Goa'uld term for the stargate? And how was it possible that she remembered anything about wormhole physics? The way he'd understood what Dr. King had been telling them was that she would be able to remember skills but not gained knowledge… or had he, himself, simply assumed that gained knowledge was part of the autobiographical memories and events she'd seemed unable to remember? Rounding the corner he ran into one of the skeleton crew. "Where the hell is Doc?"

"Ah, Sir," the SF stammered. "Wha-who?"

"Doctor Fraiser," Jack rolled his eyes, glaring at the man. "Can't miss her; a little Napoleonic power monger about yay high, petite, brown hair and eyes and white doctor's coat."

"Oh right," he nodded. "She just went into the elevator, Sir."

"Thanks," Jack groaned and quickly strode over there. Having no idea to which level she'd gone he decided to visit Daniel first to inform him of the strange revelation Sam made. Leaning back against the wall, Jack closed his eyes for a moment. He was exhausted from all the running around and the extra stress of worrying about Sam, not to mention he hardly slept. He silently berated himself for upsetting his wife with his little outburst, remembering how lost she'd looked when she'd stammered that she thought he'd be happy she remembered something. God, he was such a fool! Of course it was a good thing that she seemed to remember something even if it was something unexpected, he should've been more sensitive or understanding, or… whatever. Anything but show his frustration to her.  _And what did you do? You tried to kiss her, you fool!_

Jack sighed and left the car as the doors opened. At least he'd diverted the kiss to her forehead instead of claiming her lips like he'd wanted to since… well, forever. Especially now that they were married and he actually  _could_  kiss her. "Space Monkey," he barged into the archeologist's lab.

"Jack!" Daniel immediately looked up from the book he was reading. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Sam? Did something happen? Is she alr-?"

"She's fine, Danny boy," he reassured him.

Pushing up his glasses, Daniel scrunched up his nose. "Then why are you here and not there?"

"Well," Jack let out a deep sigh, dragging a hand through his hair as he rocked on his feet. "Something  _did_  happen… I left my handheld with her the other day and told her-"

"Yeah, I know, she told me," he nodded, remembering. "I thought it was broken though."

"She fixed it," Jack smirked, unable to keep the pride from his eyes and voice.

"That's great!"

Stepping closer, Jack nodded slowly as he grabbed one of Daniel's rocks. "Yeah… she started asking questions, though. About how she knew that and what she did for a living."

"What did you tell her?" he asked, understanding how difficult it must be for his friend. For both of them, actually. He also knew how stubborn and insisting Sam could be…

Jack shrugged. "Oh you know, the usual."

He frowned and snatched the artifact from the man's hands. "And what might that be?"

"The truth."

"What?" Daniel gasped, his soft blue eyes widening in shock. "But Janet and Dr. King had clearly stated that we couldn't tell her-"

"Daniel," Jack interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "I tried telling her that we went looking for new technology and that she was the one to figure out how the doohickeys work."

"That's all? Nothing more?" he asked skeptically.

"Carter being Carter, she of course  _had_  to ask where we went to find such technology," he rolled his eyes, but if he were honest he had expected nothing less from his wife. "Even mentioned that she doubted superior technology was simply lying around."

This elicited a chuckle from Daniel. "What did you tell her?"

"I tried explaining that we went to different planets," Jack held up his hand as Daniel was about to comment. "Did that thing she does when explaining wormholes," he admitted, somewhat embarrassed and the fact that Daniel was smirking now didn't help.

"What thing?" Daniel chuckled louder, especially when Jack scowled at him.

"With the apple."

"You mean you tried to explain to her how wormhole physics work using an apple like she tried to explain to  _you_  how a wormhole works and why we call it that?"

"Yes," he drawled out. "At least I tried," Jack scowled. "You didn't do anything but fuss over her."

"Hey! I bring her breakfast everyday and try to keep her company."

"Yes, crappy food and fussing will make her feel so much better," he replied sarcastically. "Look," Jack shook his head and held up a finger to forestall a response from his younger friend. "That's not why I came here-"

Squinting at him, Daniel straightened. "Then why?"

"Well, it does have something to do with it… you see, I was trying to explain and search for the right words when she finished my sentence."

Daniel waited for him to continue but when he just kept looking at him expectantly, he replied. "That's hardly news, you guys never needed a lot of words."

"No, I mean she actually  _finished_  my sentence. She  _knew_  about wormhole physics, Daniel."

"What are you saying?" He asked, puzzled.

Scrubbing his face with his hand, Jack sighed. "I don't know, it was weird. She said she knew all about wormholes and asked if we used the chaapa'ai to establish them."

"The stargate you mean?" Daniel cocked his head, wondering why Jack would call it a chaapa'ai.

"No, she said  _chaapa'ai_ , Daniel. That's why I'm here. I told her it was a stargate and she simply shrugged, as if she had never heard of it before."

"Well, that's… strange."

"Ya think?"

Slightly embarrassed, Daniel ducked his head and closed the book he'd been reading. "Sorry," he mumbled. "What did Janet say?"

"I was looking for her but she wasn't in the infirmary. That's why I came here, thought you had to know too."

* * *

Sam was still frozen in her spot on the infirmary bed, her fingertips on her lips and her heart pounding in her body ever since Jack left to find Janet. She knew he'd almost kissed her before he'd pressed his lips to her forehead and now – in the silence of her room – she was wondering why he hadn't…. A small smile played on her lips as she could still feel them tingle from his fingertips…. It was odd, this physiological response to his touch or close proximity, considering she didn't really know him. Not anymore at least. But apparently, her body remembered him because it kept reacting to his presence.

He seemed upset that she remembered the chaapa'ai, while she'd thought it was a good thing.  _At least I'm remembering something!_ What did it matter that she didn't call it a…  _stargate?_  They were talking about the same thing, anyway. It was sweet of him to try and explain wormholes to her, she thought chuckling to herself.  _Wormholes…._ Why did she  _know_  all these things and yet was unable to remember her own husband? At first she thought that maybe these people were playing her, but her instincts were telling her that they were being honest. Their actions and reactions were too sincere, especially the way Jack was acting around her.

She glanced at the clock, wondering when he'd be back. He'd said he'd be right back and yet it had been over twenty minutes. What the hell was he doing? He was supposed to get Janet, right? That certainly didn't take twenty minutes as Janet had told her the infirmary was just around the corner of her room. Not that she was allowed to leave her room for a stroll or anything.  _Oh, a stroll…_  she could definitely use a change of scenery after looking at these grey walls day in day out. Maybe she could ask the petite doctor if she was allowed to walk around a bit tomorrow, stretch her legs and all that.

Yawning, she slipped further under the covers. She'd just close her eyes for a minute, until Jack would get back. He and Janet probably had more questions for her, about what she knew of wormhole physics and why she called the device a chaapa'ai… Sam let out a sigh, getting tired of the wheels turning in her mind, trying to come up with an explanation. It was futile and she knew it. She simply  _knew_  without memories being attached to that knowledge. She didn't remember anything about her life before waking up here – with the exception of some flashes of a sandy surrounding what apparently was where they'd found her – but her body remembered things. Her mind too, but she couldn't recall the memories. There were only flashes and feelings in her nightmares and they all seemed to come down to the same thing… she just couldn't remember it after waking up.

But they were still there, the nightmares. Plaguing her dreams and haunting her until she'd wake up with a start. A slight sheen of sweat on her skin, her heart pounding and she would try and catch her breath after waking. In the last few days they seemed to have diminished in occurrence but they were still there. At least she seemed to have gotten through withdrawal, her body was getting stronger everyday and according to Janet she was almost completely back to normal – whatever that is. She wondered if Jack had anything to do with it; apparently, he stayed with her for a while as she was sleeping and she had to admit the dreams didn't seem to affect her so much anymore. At least, not after she woke up. Knowing that her dreams might hold some sort of key to her memories was the only reason she wasn't afraid to go back to sleep.

* * *

"Well, that is indeed rather strange," Janet concluded after General O'Neill had informed her of what had happened. "Anything else?"

Jack shrugged and decided it was best not to tell the Doc about him upsetting – and almost kissing – Sam. "Nothing comes to mind."

"Okay," she nodded and grabbed the manila folder from the briefing room table. She'd taken it up to General Landry as he'd asked for an update on Sam and by the time she was ready to go back, make her last rounds and go to her quarters General O'Neill and Daniel had found her here to fill her in. "Let's go see her."

Daniel and Jack followed the petite doctor down the halls to the elevator, both wondering if Sam would have more answers now. The ride up to the elevator was done in silence, each deep in their own thoughts. As soon as the doors opened, Janet led the way with her heels clicking on the concrete announcing her presence.

"I have the latest lab work for Sam with me," she held up the folder in her hand, "I had to update General Landry and decided to do that before I went to disturb you and Sam."

Jack nodded, not bothered that she didn't come to him first, even if he was Sam's husband  _and_  the Director of Homeworld Security. While Fraiser had gone out to inform Landry, he'd been spending time with Sam and if he hadn't they might not have known that she was remembering  _something_. "No problems?"

"No Sir," she shook her head. "We might as well visit Sam before I make my last rounds," she turned the corner to where Sam's room was, not waiting for the men to follow her.

"Could it be possible that Jolinar's memories are coming to the surface before her own?" Daniel asked, finally voicing the thoughts that had been going through his head before they reached the door.

Letting out a sigh, Janet shrugged her shoulders. "I honestly don't know, Daniel. But somehow I doubt it. The memories she left in Sam's mind were more impressions and feelings, or so she told me. Not clear memories, although through the years more things have come to the surface of course," she continued, looking at both men, knowing they knew as well as her what Sam had been going through since being taken as a host for the Tok'ra. "Sam was able to suppress most of them, or at least push them in a small corner of her mind. Therefore, it would be unlikely that those would surface sooner than her own. Still, I really can't say; I've never seen anything like this and Sam is the only person we know to have been a host and survive the death of the symbiote inside her so I don't have anything to base my suspicions on."

Daniel nodded, satisfied with her answer for now. Glancing at Jack's blank face didn't tell him anything, so he just reached out to open the door separating them from Sam. "Let's go."

Jack waited until the two had entered before following them inside. His mind was still going over the possibilities. Not that he really believed what Daniel had suggested, he knew Sam had dealt with that damn Tok'ra long ago even if she sometimes still had dreams about that… other life. The one she never lived. But what if it was another snake's memories? The moment she was found on that gateless planet they had checked her for any signs of infestation and when she got back to the SGC the Doc had put her through every scan and they were certain there wasn't a snake inside her. But they couldn't check her for previous infestation, even if the snake had died inside of her and she had somehow survived because she already had naquadah and a protein marker from Jolinar!

"She's asleep," Janet whispered as she turned back to the General and Daniel. "Looks like she's finally resting, we can come back later and talk to her. I don't want to wake her now," she concluded, glancing back at her friend. It was the first time she had seen Sam sleep so peacefully; first with the withdrawal and now there were still nightmares from whatever she had gone through. It looked like Sam had been right though, when she'd told her that the nightmares seemed to occur less frequently and later at night.

"I'll stay here," Jack said, his face daring his two friends to tell him to leave.

"Of course," Daniel nodded. "I will go see if Teal'c is available now, I doubt he's still training those marines at this hour," he motioned over his shoulder although he knew they were nowhere near the gym. "I'll tell him what happened and after that we'll see if we can contact the Tok'ra this time."

"And I'll be making my rounds before heading to my quarters, I'll talk to Sam in the morning," Janet chimed in, nodding towards General O'Neill.

"Somehow I doubt those snakes can do something for Sam, Danny boy," Jack replied in a hushed tone not wanting to wake Sam. "Even if you can contact them this time, I doubt they can or want to do something to help. Not with Jacob gone," he shook his head.

Ushering the others out of the room, Jack walked over to the bed. He leaned down and gently brushed the bangs out of his wife's face, before gently pressing a kiss on her forehead. Turning, he poured himself a cup of water before plopping down in the chair. Softly scooting his chair closer to the bed, he grabbed Sam's hand and pressed a kiss on it while she was murmuring. "Ssh, just sleep, Sam."

He watched her as she was sleeping, her chest rising and falling with every breath she took. Every now and then she frowned a bit and her fingers were twitching on the covers. Squeezing her hand a last time, Jack leaned back in his chair, exhausted and determined to rest for a moment while Sam was sleeping. He would be close if she needed him and he simply needed to close his burning eyes.

Jack knew he'd dozed off when Sam's voice roused him and his eyes snapped open as he heard her mumbling and tossing and turning. Completely awake now he scooted closer and reached for her hand. "Sam, relax, you're safe," he tried to reassure her but she pulled back. Her shifting under the covers got worse and her mumbling louder. "Sam," he tried again, reaching for both hands as she started grasping the sheets, moaning and wriggling as she tried to get free from an invisible enemy.

"No, no, no," Sam mumbled, shaking her head as she wriggled on the bed. "No, no, no!"

Jumping up as her voice got louder, Jack grabbed her hands to keep her still as her legs came up too. "Sam!" he tried to keep her from harming herself or him and was glad that Fraiser had gotten rid of all the wires and the IV because he was sure she would have pulled them all. "Sam, it's me, you're safe," Jack tried again but she pulled free.

"Let me go!" She cried out as her hands reached for her stomach and she tried to roll away from him, pulling her legs up, the sheets tangled around her body.

"Carter!" Jack yelled and grabbed her by the shoulders, trying to turn her back to him and wake her up.

"No, no, no," Sam mumbled again, curling up completely. "Don't-"

Getting more worried by the minute, Jack shook her. "Carter, wake up now!" Suddenly the curled up form of his wife stilled and he heard the hitch in her breath as she woke. "Sam?" he gently squeezed her shoulders and pulled the sheets back, trying to untangle it from her long limbs. "Sam, look at me."

Sam swallowed her sobs and tried to get her pulse and breathing under control. "J-Jack?"

"I'm here," he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her and sat on the bed, pulling her back against his chest. "It's okay, it was just a dream, you're safe, Sam." Jack threw the rest of the in sweat covered sheets off the bed and gently grabbed her wrists to pull her hands from where they lay clamped between her knees. "Ssh," he intertwined their fingers and nuzzled her neck, their hands covering her racing heart. She was trembling in his arms, her body cooling down quickly and her hair plastered against her sweaty skin. "C'mere."

She turned her body towards him and let those strong arms envelope her in a tight hug as she waited for her body to calm. She could still feel the adrenalin coursing through her veins, hear the noises, the screams, smell the metallic scent of blood and if she closed her eyes and focused she could feel the jabs of pain. Gingerly pulling her hands – trapped between their upper bodies – free, Sam placed them on her lower abdomen.

"What is it?"

"I don't know," she mumbled against his shoulder, rubbing her belly as she tried to drown out the noises in her head, drawing strength from his embrace. "Just hold me."

Jack was about to pull back to look at her when he heard her small voice. Instead, he tightened his arms and pulled her in his lap. "It's okay," he tried reassuring her again as he rubbed smoothing circles on her back. "You're safe, Sam," he pressed a soft kiss against her temple as he waited for her to calm down. The position on the bed was anything but comfortable and, making sure he had her wrapped safely in his arms, Jack made sure to scoot up on the bed, away from the edge and leaned back against the pillows.

Enjoying his comforting presence and the warmth from his body, Sam slowly relaxed against him as she pushed the images and impressions from her nightmare to the back of her mind. She'd deal with those later, during the day when she'd calmed down completely. Her hands were still shaking but the strange feeling in her abdomen was gone so she grabbed the front of his shirt, trying to force her hands to stay still and not ready to let him go just yet. "What time is it?"

He hardly heard what she said and until she repeated it he couldn't make heads or tails from the whispered question. "Ah," Jack glanced around the room, "almost 0400 hours."

"What?" She gasped, pulling back to look at him, her eyes wide in shock. "What are you still doing here?"

"I fell asleep," he shrugged, not wanting her to feel guilty – not that he hadn't fallen asleep – because it usually was close to sunrise when he left her room.

Biting her lower lip, Sam looked up at him. "I'm sorry."

"For what? You can't control your nightmares, Sam. It's okay," he pulled her back against him, his hand guiding her head to the crook of his neck.

"No, for waking you," she protested, shaking her head as far as he let her. "You should've been asleep in your quarters-"

"I don't mind," he reassured her. "I'm glad I was here for you," nuzzling her neck, Jack didn't want to think about what she'd been dreaming. It was obviously a bad nightmare and the way she'd tried to get away from him, how she'd cried out – he didn't want to acknowledge that he might have made it worse by grabbing her hands, trying to hold her down – and he knew what Ba'al was capable of…. Her sobs had chilled his heart when she'd finally woken up, not to mention how she'd been shaking in his arms. "You just try to go back to sleep," he knew from experience that his – or hers as he'd learned over the years, especially in the few months they'd been married – nightmares usually didn't return when it was almost morning.

"Don't go," Sam objected as he gently let her go. "Please stay," she ducked her head, embarrassed that she was actually pleading with him.

"I won't," Jack smiled at her, "just getting you some sheets," he quickly grabbed clean sheets from the dresser on the other side of the room and threw them over the bed. "C'mon, get some sleep."

* * *

When Janet woke up that morning she immediately took a shower – she was too tired last night – and quickly grabbed something in the mess hall. There was no sign of Daniel, General O'Neill or Teal'c or… anyone really, the place was almost deserted. That was when she remembered that there were five teams off world and two more would leave in the next two hours. She had to go to the infirmary for their pre-mission check up, because both teams had been recuperating from the stomach flu and they didn't want to bring a new virus to a planet – that would not leave a good impression.

Hurriedly walking down the corridors, she reminded herself to check on Sam afterwards. Almost all the members of the two teams were already waiting for her in the infirmary and she handled the examinations quickly but thoroughly. Luckily, everything was looking good – she'd checked their blood values the day before yesterday and everything was within range – and she gave them a go. She went to her office to put the information in their files, before she grabbed the print out from Sam.  _Yes, just like I remembered, everything is looking good_. Well, with the exception of that hormone imbalance, but she'd already given Sam her pills for that. It would be too soon to show any effects now, but she'd get another few blood samples tomorrow. Putting everything back in the right cabinet, she filled a cup of water and drank the cool liquid before making her way to Sam's room.

 _I should talk to General O'Neill when he wakes up, because I'm almost ready to release Sam._ Janet wasn't sure how he'd react, since Sam still didn't remember him even if they got along quite well in these past few days. It would be strange for both of them, maybe even unnerving in the beginning but hopefully a familiar surrounding would trigger some more memories from Sam. She already seemed to know about wormholes and the gate and maybe that had something to do with being in the SGC and hearing klaxons every now and then. _Who knows?_

She'd take the blood samples tomorrow and immediately analyze them herself even if it was her morning off and hopefully she'd see some improvement and Sam could go home….  _Have to talk to the General about that too; I need her to stay close in case of an emergency but they technically lived in DC._

"I'll take that with me, thank you airman," Janet took the tray with Sam's breakfast from the young man and dismissed him. Daniel had told her last night that he and Teal'c would be leaving at 1030 hours to meet the Tok'ra – after they finally got a hold of them – so he wouldn't be able to bring Sam her breakfast this morning as he needed his sleep. She didn't mind though, perhaps she could talk to Sam alone over breakfast. Opening the door, Janet walked into the room contemplating whether to wake her friend – before her coffee got cold – or let her sleep in and just put the tray down if she was still asleep.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, almost dropping the tray as she saw General O'Neill and Sam lying in the small infirmary bed together. The General wasn't completely covered with the white sheets so Janet could tell that he was still completely dressed, with his arms around Sam in a protective manner, holding her close to his chest. Sam was cuddled up to him, wrapped in the covers and sound asleep. Grinning at the sleeping couple, Janet made up her mind and placed the tray on the side table before making her way out. She'd drop by later with a fresh cup of coffee.


	10. Family

A shiver ran down Sam's spine as she slowly woke up. She was getting cold, she realized. Her top was sticking to her body, her back cold and slightly damp and she frowned internally as she realized the front of her top was wet too. It would have been better if she'd changed clothes after her nightmare, she mused. But she'd hardly been able to sit up, let alone go to the bathroom and change. She swallowed hard as she remembered the panic she'd felt when she woke up from her most recent nightmare; the flashes, imprints and feelings had been stronger and she actually remembered some of it, in contrast to the nightmares she'd had the last few days.

She cuddled closer to the warmth next to her when she felt another shiver go through her body and felt goose bumps appear.  _Must be the air conditioning_ , she thought, knowing hospitals – and apparently infirmaries too – always had a cool temperature. Not wanting to wake up yet, Sam kept her eyes closed and pulled herself flush against…  _Jack!_  He was still holding her, she realized. He'd stayed with her the entire night, keeping her warm and safe. One of her hands still had his shirt in a death grip she was almost embarrassed to admit and tried to relax in his arms.

"You awake?" Jack whispered in her hair when she went completely still after pressing her body against his side. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept this good, even if it were only a few hours; he'd rested more with her in his arms than he remembered sleeping the last eight months with her missing. She didn't answer, but he saw her eyes screw shut and her nose scrunched up a bit with the movement. "Sam?" He tried again, gently squeezing her hip where his hand had sneaked under her top during the night. Her flesh was cold and he silently chastised himself for not getting her in clean clothes after she had woken up earlier that night. Instead, he'd just replaced the covers, which probably didn't do a lot of good considering they'd slid down to her waist.

Heat shot through Sam's body when his hand moved against her skin and she couldn't suppress the shudder that went straight down her spine when his rough, calloused thumb slowly caressed her hip. Cold completely forgotten, she nodded slowly, her cheek rubbing against his black shirt. It was a welcome sensation as she felt the heat of his skin burn through it, urging her to move higher and nuzzle his neck. His tanned skin warm against her cold nose and she heard him hiss at the contact. "Sorry," she mumbled and reluctantly pulled back slightly, letting her cheek rest on his chest near his collar.

"It's okay," Jack mumbled, after clearing his throat.  _Better than okay_ , he mused. He couldn't help it; his body reacted to her presence as it had throughout the years of working with her by his side. After they'd gotten together she had told him that – for some weird reason – she liked his neck and he'd discovered he really liked her liking his neck, too. The way she would nuzzle against his skin, kiss it, nibble on it, lick it… he could go on, but considering his BDU pants were getting uncomfortably tight around a certain area with her just lying against him, in his arms – and it only got worse after she nuzzled his neck this time – Jack realized it was time to stop this sweet torture before he got too carried away. "You should probably eat something," he mentioned and tried to get up.

"I'm not really hungry," Sam replied, the fist holding his shirt tightening as he tried to scoot up the bed – and probably get out to leave her – to keep him in place. "Sorry I fell asleep on you," she lied, ducking her head so he couldn't see the blush creeping up her neck. "I'm sure you would've preferred sleeping in your quarters."

 _Yeah right_ , he almost huffed but instead just shook his head. "No, I slept just fine," he grinned but she didn't see it with her face cast downwards. "Sam," Jack grabbed her chin and gently forced her to look up at him – before her eyes would trail lower because he was pretty sure she could see the effect she had on him. "Stop apologizing."

"Sorry," she automatically mumbled, closing her eyes and biting her lip the moment the words left her mouth. "A genius you said?" she inquired softly as she dared a glance at his face, hoping she hadn't upset him.

Jack smiled at her and his smile grew even wider when she responded in kind. The uncertainty in her eyes, however, threatened to kill his joyful mood. Reaching down, he caressed her cheek with his fingers before pressing a kiss on her crown. "Yeah, a real genius when it comes to rational, logical things and science."

She giggled at his reply, how he evaded hurting her feelings and instead chose to elaborate on her genialness and once again found herself wondering what their life together had been like. His presence was comforting to her and he was easy to get on with, even if she wasn't sure about her own feelings. She liked how he tried to make her smile when she was feeling down. She didn't remember him but still felt like she knew him somehow. "Jack?"

"Hum?" He asked, looking at her face as he finally got up and she settled on her side. Her bed hair was adorable with the long tresses curling slightly and those clear blue orbs underneath her bangs – or what was left of them now that her hair had grown so much. Resisting the urge to kiss her sweet lips, Jack slipped from underneath the covers and got up from the bed, quickly closing his BDU jacket and pulling it down to cover his arousal. "What is it, Sam?"

"Never mind," she shook her head and sat up, pulling the sheets with her. She'd been about to ask him about their life, their marriage but she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear it.  _Later, I'll ask him later, once I finally get out of here…_.

Squinting at her, Jack tried to read her. "You sure?"

"Yeah, sure you betcha," she smiled mischievously, showing the dimples he loved so much.

"Okay," he drawled out, nodding slowly still not convinced. "Looks like breakfast has been here a while," he mentioned, feeling the coldness of the cup of coffee.

Hugging her knees under the blankets, Sam shrugged. "Like I said, I'm not hungry."

"You have to eat something," Jack replied in a soft tone, not feeling very hungry himself either. "Did you at least sleep alright?"

"Yes," she beamed at him. "After… you know, I slept really well."

"Good," he responded in kind, before glancing at the clock.  _Crap!_  He had a meeting with Landry in fifteen minutes! For the love of all things holy he couldn't remember what it was about – he was sure it wasn't something Earth shattering – not that he was very surprised about that, since he hadn't been able to keep Sam out of his mind since she'd gotten back. Not that he had been able to do so before, when she'd been missing but now he knew she was close and just wanted to sweep her up in his arms and never let go. "Look Sam, I have a meeting with Landry in a few," he sighed, not wanting to leave her yet.

"I understand," she nodded, "you go."

"I wouldn't if I didn't have to," he muttered before he could help himself. Glancing back at her, he wasn't sure if she had overheard him or not – her face gave nothing away. "You should probably take a shower too," Jack motioned towards the bathroom and tried to keep his dirty mind focused on the situation instead of thinking of her glorious body in the shower and all the things he'd- shaking his head, he tried to clear it and groaned softly. "I need to shower and get some clean clothes, I'll be back later."

Giving him a small smile, Sam waited for him to leave before she slipped out from under the covers and went into the bathroom. He was right, she needed a shower too! Quickly divesting her body from the damped clothes, she jumped under the shower, enjoying the warmth.

* * *

"Don't give me such an attitude, Ryan," Mark scolded his young teenage son, wagging his finger in warning.

"Oh, come on, Dad," he protested, throwing up his arms in a helpless gesture.

Shaking his head, Mark pointed towards the kitchen. "Go clean out the dishwasher and then you  _will_  help your mother outside-"

"Can't Amy help her? She's not doing anything," Ryan petulantly stated, rolling his eyes in annoyance at his little sister that never had to do anything.

"She's just a kid!"

Ryan was about to protest that he wasn't that old either, before he changed his mind; if he were to use that excuse now, there was no chance his Dad was going to let him go to the New Year's party! "So? I always have to help!"

"She's turning eleven next month," Mark exclaimed, not believing that he was actually going into discussion with the teen. "You can't expect her to shovel the paths clear of snow!"

"But-"

Holding up his hand, Mark glared at him. "Go, now! Or there will be no more internet, computer games or cell phones for the next two weeks!" he was actually surprised to see his son jump up, once again he'd underestimated the boy's need for social networking, or whatever it was called. It was obvious Ryan was really turning into a young man now, which apparently caused him to be reluctant to help out around the house, have a bad mood most of the time and to hide out in his room. Mark couldn't remember ever being like that when he'd been fifteen.  _Or…_ Well, he'd had an excuse to be fighting with his father at that age, after his mother had died.

Dragging a hand through his hair, he decided this was not the time to think about this. His father had died about thirteen months ago – under rather secretive circumstances – just when Sam, Mark himself and their father had been getting along great. Then Sam had broken up her engagement to Pete – he was still puzzled over that – and he and Sam had a little fallout. Nothing serious in his opinion, they had both been emotional over losing their Dad and Sam not wanting –  _being able_ , he corrected himself – to tell him about what had happened to him, let alone explain about Pete… they both said things in the heat of the argument and he hadn't meant to hurt her. He'd call her later, to apologize and make things right again he had told Laura, his wife. After all, after losing their parents Sam was all he had left, together with his wife and two kids.

Mark plopped down on the couch, glancing at the pictures above the fireplace. He'd tried calling but Sam hadn't been at home or at work, apparently she actually left that mountain once in a while for her deep space radar telemetry. The holidays had been around the corner and he wanted to make up, invite her over to spend Christmas with him, Laura and the kids. He didn't want her to spend them on her own, not after losing Dad and breaking up with Pete. But, he didn't have a say in it as he'd been sent on a four-week business trip to Japan. Laura and the kids had been excited and he'd been able to take them with him – it had taken some arguing with the kids' school but it would be a great experience – and they spent the holidays in Japan of all places. It had been strange, but they had enjoyed every minute of it.

Until he'd gotten home and found a handful of messages on his answering machine by Sam. Apparently, his little sister wanted to tell him something… no, scratch that, she told him in the next message; she was engaged. Or no, she'd gotten married already she told him in an apologetic tone in her last message. She wanted to talk to him – that had been mutual – to explain her sudden marriage and if he wanted to call her he should try her new number, because she was stationed in Nevada! He couldn't believe what had happened in the time he'd been gone and he was getting worried; had she married some illegal immigrant for a green card? She didn't seem like the type… hell, he didn't think she knew any immigrants! Certainly not some pool boy, because she didn't have a pool and there wasn't anything worth tending for in her garden. Not to mention she was stuck in a mountain all day – or apparently a desert these days – so it wasn't like she met people or lived an exciting life!

He knew he worked late, he hardly saw his kids or his wife anymore, but Sam took workaholic to a whole new level! There were days he didn't get home until 2100 hours and when he tried calling her she was still at work, so eventually he'd left her a voicemail and then she left him one telling him she was going to be in DC and he should call her cell phone. The three hour time difference was interfering and they kept up their little game of phone tag and then apparently she was back in Nevada again. He was tired when he got home, couldn't stay up to talk to his sister on the phone and in the weekend she was either busy, in DC and busy or in Colorado and busy! Then he'd gotten the scare of his life when he finally got home early for once and walked in on Laura talking to two AF officers in their living room. Sam had gone missing! He didn't remember much from the conversation, only that he'd gotten real frustrated when they couldn't  _exactly_  explain how the hell she'd gone missing when she was working day and night! Eventually, one of the men had told him she was going to give a presentation about an aircraft she'd been working on when she was  _abducted_! Not missing, but abducted!

Mark sighed and leant back against the couch. When his mother had died, he'd blamed his father and the Air Force but once they had finally reconciled – six years ago – he'd been able to forgive him. His father was like an entire new person, one he actually liked and Sam had been the sister he remembered her to be, before she went and joined the AF. He'd slowly come to the realization that perhaps it wasn't the AF that had caused the misery in his family. It had brought Sam and their Dad closer and eventually all three of them. Now, all he knew was that the AF had taken his mother, his father and even his sister from him! About a month ago, an officer came by his house. At first, Mark had been startled but he realized that if Sam was really dead there would have been two of him, right? They always came in pairs, right? The man had identified himself as Major Davis and regretted to inform him that the status of Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, PhD had been changed to killed in action. A memorial service was planned – next week, which was why he had taken the rest of the week off – and the President himself was going to be present, which was why Davis had been sent, or something…. For a minute, Mark had wondered how the hell his father and sister knew the President – Hayes had been at his Dad's service to show his sympathies – but knew they would never tell him and had dejectedly accepted the invitation, finally letting the loss of his sister sink in. They hadn't found a body but according to the Major they had good reasons to assume she was gone. He'd broken down in tears and Laura had held him until he got himself under control. Mark had been about to apologize for his behavior when he noticed the tears in the Major's eyes… the man told him he'd known Sam too and had worked with her on several occasions and that they – whoever  _they_ were – were all upset over her loss.

"Honey, are you okay?" Laura looked at the broken form of her husband.

"Yeah, I'm good," he nodded, glancing over his shoulder and gave her a small smile. "I was just thinking about Sam and Dad."

"Oh," she walked up to him, squeezed his shoulder and planted a kiss on his head. "Want to talk about it?"

"No," he shook his head, deciding he'd been dwelling long enough for today. "Did Ryan come out to help you?"

Realizing he needed a change of subject, Laura bobbed her head. "Yes, he's gone to the neighbors to help clear their path as well. I was going to make hot cocoa."

"I'd like that," Mark smiled at her and got up from the couch when the doorbell rang. "I thought he went out back?"

"Me too," she mumbled, ready to open the door for her son.

Making a dismissive wave with his hand, Mark shook his hand. "Go make the cocoa, I'll get it."

Looking through the peephole he was shocked to see the dress blues and a cap and immediately opened the door. "George!"

"Mark, I'm sorry to show up on your doorstep like this," George Hammond apologized, "but I thought this visit was done best in person, son."

"What?" he gasped, his heart beating in his throat.  _They had found the body!_

Gesturing with his hand, George looked at the young man he'd known since he was a teenager. "Can we take this inside?"

"Of course," Mark mumbled, stepping aside and letting the old family friend inside. "What happened?"

"We found Sam-"

"Oh, God!" his knees gave out and he plopped ungraciously on the couch.

"She's alive, son," George gave him a small smile and waited for his news to sink in.

The pale face of Mark Carter finally regained some color after a few tense moments and the silence was only broken when his wife came into the living room, having heard the two men in the kitchen.

"Mark, what is going on?"

"They've found Sam," he repeated, still not completely comprehending. "She's alive."

Gasping, Laura ran to him and drew him in a hug. "Oh my! What wonderful news!"

"Wait, where is she? Why isn't she here?" Mark's brain finally kicked in. He may not be the genius in the family, but he was smart enough to realize that George Hammond was holding back.  _Oh God, what had happened to Sammie?_

Clearing his throat, George looked at his hands before glancing up at the couple in front of him. "We found Sam and physically she is stable, but-"

"What happened?" he asked, fear gripping his heart.

"We're not sure, we don't have the details… Sam doesn't remember anything."

Swallowing, Mark nodded, processing the information. "Well, that could be a good thing, right?" He didn't want to think about what could have happened in eight months to a young, attractive woman who had been abducted by God knows who! "Where did they find her? Who found her? Wh-"

"Son, just hear me out, okay?" George looked at him, gauging his reaction, before continuing. "She was found by a recon team in the Middle East," he lied, "she has been in Colorado Springs, recovering for the past few days."

"Days? And you didn't think it was important to tell me? I want to see her!" Mark almost yelled, getting angrier by the minute. His sister had been safe for  _days_  and the AF didn't think it was necessary to tell him up until a few days before her supposed memorial service?

George winced at the accusation. He'd known Mark would react like this, he'd told Jack to tell Mark but he'd refused saying there was no use in telling him until Sam had recovered from her withdrawal and then there had been the lack of memory. The President had agreed with Jack and eventually George had offered to be the one to inform Sam's brother, even if he was officially retired. It would do no good for Mark to know the details about Sam's recovery, especially not that it had been a little bit more than a few days…. "Mark, we didn't inform you yet because her recovery was rough," he frowned. "She doesn't remember  _anything_ ," George emphasized the word. "She doesn't know who she is, son, what happened or what her life looks like. That is why we didn't tell you sooner, she was very difficult to handle, didn't recognize anyone… we were hoping it was temporary but so far there has been little progress."

Fighting the tears welling up in his eyes, Mark glanced at Laura who squeezed his hand in silent support. "She didn't even ask for me?"

"I'm sorry," he shook his head. "She didn't ask for anyone nor remembered her own friends… not even her husband."

He had totally forgotten about the husband since George had come knocking on his door and Mark frowned at the mention of the man. "He went to see her?"

"Yes, he's been by her side most of the time," George explained, "but she still doesn't remember him. There are some little things she seems to remember and recognize."

Well, he couldn't really blame his sister… after all, she had only been married for a few months and how long had she known the guy, really? She'd only broken it off with Pete in October and gotten married to whatever his name is in December! "Where is she now?"

"Still in the infirmary, but the doctor is hopeful that she can be released in a few days, after which she'll go home with Jack. I haven't spoken to him yet so I don't know if they'll be staying in your father's old apartment in Colorado or if they are going to their house in DC, but I'll make sure to tell them both that you want to see her."

"What, I can't even visit her?"

Letting out a deep sigh, George rubbed his hand over his bald head. "We don't want to upset her at the moment, her state of mind is very fragile according to one of the specialists we called in."

Mark bit his tongue and tried to calm down somewhat.  _At least she's still alive!_  "I can get on the next plane to visit her, I really have to see her George… I thought she was gone, that-"

Laura hugged him closer when he broke down and rubbed his back soothingly, letting her own tears flow over her cheeks. Her and Sam had never been really close, but they got along whenever they were visiting. Maybe if they had seen more of each other they could have become good friends, but she did like her sister-in-law and the kids loved her. Mark loved her, despite their differences. She knew he'd been torn over what had happened since they had last seen each other before Sam had gone missing. He would never admit it, but she could tell. He kept blaming himself, thinking that their argument at their father's memorial service would be the last thing Sam would remember about him. She had tried telling her husband that he and his sister had been trying to make up, it had just been proven difficult with their hectic schedules. She suspected Mark would have been able to take off a couple of days to visit Sam, but her sudden and unexplained marriage had held him back. Or so she thought, he was still friends with Pete after all and their friendship had suffered under Sam's decision and Mark couldn't understand how his sister had been able to marry someone else that soon. He hadn't even met the guy! Didn't even know his name…  _Well, apparently it's Jack_ , she thought to herself, still holding her husband. "Mark."

"I understand son," George clasped the younger man's knee and squeezed it gently. "We all thought she was gone, everyone but Jack and her former team. We are all hopeful she'll remember in time, but at the moment her mind is pretty much blank when it comes to her, ah…." He rubbed his chin as he tried to think of what the specialist had called it again. "Her autobiographical memories, but there appears to be no brain damage. She still knows a heck of a lot more about physics than most of us," he chuckled softly and was glad to see Mark relax. "Look, I will give you my number and I will talk to Jack as soon as I get to Colorado," which would be in a few minutes considering  _Prometheus_  was in orbit and had beamed him over here. "I'll talk to him and the doctors and give him your number, so he can contact you, okay?"

"Sam can call me," Mark protested, not wanting to talk to some stranger he never even met.

George shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Mark, the specialist doesn't want us to put words in her mouth, I don't know if we can just tell her about you and then force her to call you. He said that forcing the issue may cause a major step backwards and possibly even damage her more."

"Oh," he nodded, understanding dawning on him. He didn't want to be responsible for that. "So, that's it? I'll just have to wait until I get a damn phone call from the brother-in-law I never even met?"

"I'll make sure he calls you soon and I, he or some of Sam's friends will update you on a daily basis, Mark."

* * *

"Janet," Sam said as a greeting when the doctor entered her room.

Janet smiled at her. "Sam, good to see you up and running. How are you feeling?"

"Good," she replied, getting up from the chair in which she'd been reading the paper and walked over to her. "You really shouldn't have to do that," she motioned towards the bed, which Janet started changing after setting a tray with lunch on the side table.

Janet simply nodded as she kept working. "I know, I have nurses for it. But it relaxes me, just don't expect me to do the entire infirmary," she winked at her friend.

Chuckling, Sam plopped down in a chair and grabbed the apple lying on the tray. The breakfast brought when she – and Jack – had been asleep hadn't looked very appetizing when she finally woke so she was feeling a bit hungry. "Janet, do you think that maybe I can leave this room today?"

"Look Sam," Janet sighed and sat down in the other chair, turning to her patient and best friend. "Even if you don't  _know_  us without your memory, I still know you; I know you're probably going stir crazy from doing nothing all day, but I can't release you just yet–"

"I know, I understand," she replied honestly. "But just let me walk around for a bit? It would be good for me to stretch my legs, right? Maybe something will jog my memory? At least let me breathe in some fresh air!"

Thinking about it, Janet had to admit she had a good point.  _She_  was even yearning for some fresh air. "Alright, I'll ask General O'Neill or Daniel to show you around, okay?"

"Thank you, Janet," Sam beamed at her. "And when  _can_  you release me?"

"Well, as I was about to explain before you interrupted me," she rolled her eyes mockingly, "I have to talk to the General about it first."

"Jack?"

Janet nodded, a slow smile creeping up her face as she remembered what she'd walked in on earlier this morning. They had almost been married for a year now but hadn't spent a lot of time together with Sam missing for almost eight months and the time they did spend together was usually in DC or Nevada, so Janet – or others at the SGC – had never really seen them be affectionate towards each other. Well, more affectionate than the frat regs would've allowed. It had warmed her heart finding two of her best friends cuddled up together. There was no doubt in her mind that Jack wouldn't object to taking Sam home with him, even if it was going to be difficult for the two of them with her missing her memory and it seemed like Sam wouldn't make an objection either, but she still had to talk to him – instruct him – before releasing Sam. "Yes, as soon as I can get a hold of him I'll talk to him about your release."

"Why would you need his permission?" Sam frowned, not liking others making her decisions for her.

"Not permission per se," she shrugged, deciding not to share her thoughts with Sam. "I need to know I can release you into his care," seeing Sam's eyes widen Janet made a vague hand gesture, "he is your husband after all. Besides, I need to instruct him on several things, make sure he can be there for you with the hours he makes…."

Hearing her voice trail off, Sam simply nodded, finally understanding. She hadn't thought about Jack… well, she  _had_  of course, but not that he'd be bringing her home – wherever that might be. Her heart started beating faster at the prospect; how would it be to have him around her 24/7? Would there be things in their house that would jog her memory? How would he behave towards her? She shifted uncomfortably in her seat as she wondered if he had certain…  _expectations_. He'd been thoughtful, kind and nice to her for the last week, but how long would that last? What if she never remembered anything again? What had he said again… that she'd make her own memories? Whatever the hell that meant! Would that be memories without him? He'd file for a divorce and just leave her to get a new life?

"Sam? Sam, honey, what's wrong?" Janet asked as she noticed Sam's hands started to shake in her lap, her eyes focused on a vague point on the grey walls of the infirmary room. She reached out and grabbed her – very cold – hands and squeezed them slightly. "Sam?"

"What?" Snapping out of it, Sam looked in the concerned hazel eyes of the petite woman sitting across her. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking. I'm fine, what did you ask?"

Giving her a last inquiring look, she shook her head. "Nothing."

"Okay," Sam swallowed, not allowing herself to think about what if she didn't remember. Jack wouldn't just dump her like that, right?  _God, I don't know_ , she told herself, frowning slightly. She barely knew the man. Yes, he'd been sweet and supportive now, but she didn't know anything about their marriage and yet she trusted him. If he left her, what would become of her? She would have no one left. Well, Janet and Daniel seemed to like her and that other guy, Teal'c, but that was only because they knew her from before… if she didn't turn out to be the same Sam as before they didn't know her at all.  _No,_  she shook her head slightly,  _this is getting depressing!_ "So, that means I can get out of here soon?"

"Yes," Janet smiled at her and patted her hands before letting go and leaning back in her chair. "Your blood work hasn't changed much, are you taking the pills I gave you?" she asked as she grabbed the file lying next to Sam's lunch on the tray.

"Yeah, sure you betcha."


	11. Learning Something New?

"Colonel Carter, I am pleased to see you are doing well," Teal'c bowed his head slightly at the young woman.

Feeling a faint blush spread from her neck, Sam gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Teal'c," she nervously wiped her hands on the dark blue BDU pants she was wearing. Janet had dropped by earlier and gave her the BDUs telling her that she would be allowed to walk around the base in the late afternoon. The BDUs were a good fit and she reached for the jacket, slipping her arms in the sleeves but leaving it open. It was only then that she noticed the name tag on them. "Oh, these are mine?"

"Indeed."

Sam felt strangely touched by the idea of them keeping her BDUs despite the fact she'd been missing for almost eight months! It only strengthened the idea in her mind; maybe they really were good friends, not just co-workers? "Janet told me I can walk around the base and even see my old lab," she continued, wondering if the large man was always this quiet. It surprised her somewhat that she didn't feel really uncomfortable around him, even if he hardly said a word and probably looked intimidating to others. "Apparently I don't work here anymore," she concluded, frowning.

"I am aware," Teal'c stated, his hands clasped behind his back. "It would be my honor to escort you around base, Colonel Carter."

"Sure," Sam nodded, wondering if anyone ever told him no considering he didn't really ask her, "I'd like that," she smiled hesitantly.

He allowed the corners of his mouth to curl up slightly to reassure his friend, before turning to lead the way. "Follow me, Colonel Carter."

Fidgeting with the hem of her jacket, Sam slowly followed his lead, walking through all the gray corridors nodding at passing airmen and infirmary staff, before they stepped into the elevator. "Can we go see my old lab first?"

Arching an eyebrow, Teal'c looked at her and pressed the button of level nineteen. "Very well."

* * *

"General Hammond, Sir," Jack cheered when the white light dissipated and his former commander stood in the middle of the briefing room, during his – long and boring – meeting with Hank.

"I'm retired now, son, call me George," he chuckled, clasping the younger man's shoulder before looking at the commander of the SGC, Major General Hank Landry who was still blinking, no doubt to get rid of the black spots the bright  _Prometheus'_ beaming technologyhad caused him. "General Landry, sorry to drop in on you like this."

"That's alright, Sir," Hank replied, waving towards a chair.

George sat down on the chair, leaning back in the seat to wait until the two men wrapped up their meeting. However, they kept staring at him. "Jack told me to come back in the late afternoon," he shrugged, glancing at both two stars at the table.

"Yeah well," Jack shrugged, "I figured we'd be done with our meeting by then."

"Won't be much longer, gentlemen," Hank smiled at them, glancing back at the file in front of him, trying to remember what he'd been talking about before the Lieutenant General had dropped in.

"Good," George smiled and poured himself a cup of water.

Tapping his fingers on the table, Jack impatiently waited for Hank to continue, wondering what was taking him so long. Doc Fraiser had told him that Sam wanted to walk around the base to stretch her legs and see if things look familiar to her and he wanted to be there with her, but time was running out considering Hank had told the doctor it would be best in the late afternoon because most SG-teams would be either off world, at home or working out. Making sure that Carter had all the space she needed without feeling intimidated or old co-workers coming over to her to say hello. "Hank, I thought we only needed to go through the latest budget plans, what else is there?"

"Right," Hank mumbled, remembering what he'd wanted to talk about. The IOA had been talking about a shift of priorities, meaning that they wanted to give more money to the Atlantis Expedition at the costs of the SGC. He wasn't a fool and knew that was because the IOA, with Dr. Weir as the commander of Atlantis had a bigger say in the expedition than they ever had – or would have – in the SGC. "Looks like I forgot that file, let me get it," he muttered, getting up from his place at the head of the table.

"So,  _George_ ," Jack smirked at him, emphasizing the man's first name. He'd called him that before, but that was before the man became a three-star general, even if it was only one star less than he himself, or Hank, had. But now that Hammond was retired he probably should call him by his name. "I thought you were going to inform Mark Carter?"

"I already did, son," George chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "I was visiting the President and he gave me permission to be beamed over to San Diego. I don't think I've ever seen Mark happier or more elated!"

Jack had no trouble imagining that; the moment he'd heard they'd found Sam was still fresh in his mind! He'd met Mark at Jacob's service but he'd been too busy to get to know the man and he doubted if Sam's brother even remembered him. Sam had told him about the fight she and Mark had had after the service was over and how he'd been asking questions about Pete, so in a way it had been a good thing that there were other people and aliens at the service that he had to talk to. "That's understandable," he nodded. He didn't mind being the one to have to break bad news, but when Sam had gone missing he couldn't force himself to tell Mark what had happened – well, their version of it, anyway – not in the least because he hadn't given up hope on his wife and because he wasn't sure if Mark actually knew who he was. Sam had tried inviting her brother for the wedding, but he'd been unavailable and due to the short notice – before either had to resume their function and get back into the same chain of command – they hadn't had a lot of time to organize and plan the wedding, hence the lack of official invitations.

Frowning, George thought back to his meeting with Mark. "Yes it is, just as much as it is understandable that he was upset when I told him Sam had been here for a few days already and that he couldn't see her."

"What did you tell him?"

"That she'd been found, but she didn't remember anything," he informed Jack, while Landry joined them again and gestured for them to continue their conversation. "That she didn't know about her brother and that he couldn't see her at the moment, because it could cause a setback in her recovery."

It was hard for Jack to think about his own reaction if someone had told him that he couldn't see Sam! He couldn't blame Mark for being upset but he was certain that he, himself, wouldn't have let anyone from stopping him to see her…. Then again, Mark didn't even know where Sam was at the moment, so he could hardly barge in here. "I'm surprised he left it at that," he replied, frowning.

"So was I," George remarked, "and I don't doubt he wants to see her soon. I told him I'd give you his number so you could keep him updated on Sam's progress."

"Me?" Jack almost yelped. He  _so_  wasn't looking forward to that! He knew he was supposed to be a badass general, but he'd spent time with Sam  _and_  Jacob. Jacob used to like him, but only after he and the rest of SG-1 had saved his ass several times and even then it was probably a lot of Selmak's influence…  _Sam obviously likes me_ , he thought smirking slightly. But Mark and Sam hadn't made up since their fight, although they had tried but ended up playing phone tag. He hardly knew the guy and Mark definitely didn't know him!

"Come on, Jack," Hank chuckled, flipping through the file he'd taken with him. "He  _is_  your brother-in-law, you know?"

"Don't remind me," Jack groaned, rolling his eyes. It wasn't just the fact they had barely met, but it was because Sam and Mark still hadn't made up and it was obvious to both of them – Sam and himself – that Mark hadn't forgiven her for breaking up her engagement to Shanahan. If he were honest, Jack thought it was the best decision she had ever made. But the  _cop_  and Mark had been good buddies and apparently that hadn't changed after Sam dumped him… Sam had told him that it was almost as if her decision had drifted them even further apart, with Mark choosing Pete's side. And hurting Sam wasn't something Jack would allow, not even from her brother. Still, Sam had wanted to make up now that their father had died and Mark was the only – blood related – family she had left, so Jack assumed that she'd want to see her brother… if she hadn't lost her memory. "Fine," he relented, "give me that number."

* * *

"Sam!" Daniel exclaimed when the car stopped and the elevator doors opened to reveal two of his best friends waiting to get in. "Teal'c."

"Daniel Jackson," Teal'c greeted, before joining his friend. "Doctor Fraiser and General Landry have given Colonel Carter permission to move about the base."

"Well, it certainly is good to see you walking around," Daniel smiled at her, which she returned albeit a bit hesitantly when she joined both men. "I was just about to visit you in the infirmary. Wait, what were you doing here?"

"I wanted to see my old lab," Sam shrugged, gnawing her lip. "Hoping I would remember something, but…."

"Oh," Daniel nodded, realizing it hadn't worked. "Where are you going?"

"Teal'c offered to show me the chaapa'ai," she replied, glancing at the two men.

Frowning, Daniel corrected her as he leaned forward to press the button. "Stargate."

"Right."

"Do not worry, Colonel Carter," Teal'c spoke sternly, his hand squeezing her shoulder slightly in understanding.

She smiled at him and was once again surprised by how unperturbed she was in his presence. She hardly knew him, had only seen him once before when he came to visit her and yet she felt comfortable, safe around him. "Thank you, Teal'c."

When the elevator stopped at level twenty-eight, Sam followed the two men to the gate room, again nodding to the passing airmen. Stepping inside the room she was surprised to see it was empty with the exception of a sergeant working on what looked like capacitors on the chaapa'ai –  _stargate_ , she reminded herself – and a Lieutenant on the ramp.

"Colonel Carter, it's good to see you again, Ma'am," Sly Siler exclaimed when he heard the blast doors open and looked over his shoulder from his position on a ladder.

"Thank you, Sergeant," she replied, giving him a small smile as she walked up to the ramp.

"Yes Ma'am, it's really good to see you again, Colonel Carter," Graham Simmons stammered nervously, giving her a wide smile.

Sam simply nodded and turned away from the young man, feeling slightly awkward with the way he was staring at her. As she did so, she noticed the control room and saw someone wave at her. She frowned and hesitantly made a lame attempt at a wave, before questioningly looking at Daniel and Teal'c.

"Chief Master Sergeant Harriman is most pleased to see you once again, Colonel Carter," Teal'c explained with a small grin, "as we all are."

"I see," she mumbled, still feeling confused over all the attention she was getting and the lack of memories she had to deal with. Deciding to focus her thoughts on something else, she glanced around the gate room again. "Where is the sexaap'ai?"

* * *

"Jack," Hank called out to the man from his position at the window as he was about to step out of the briefing room.

"What?" he almost whined,  _really_  wanting to get out of there to see Sam.

Glancing over his shoulder, Hank smiled at Jack. "Looks like your wife is in the gate room already."

"What?" Jack asked again, quickly joining him by the window. Sam was wearing her blue BDUs and Lieutenant Simmons was stammering something to her…. Muttering under his breath, Jack quickly descended the spiral stairs to the control room, before slipping out and getting to the gate room to see his wife.

"The what?" he asked, overhearing her question as the blast doors opened and silently starting to wonder if he could say anything besides 'what' for a minute.

"Jack!" Sam smiled at him, happy to see him again. "The sexaap'ai."

Refusing to repeat himself again, Jack raised an eyebrow at his two friends. "What did you do to her, Space Monkey?"

"Nothing," Daniel replied indignantly. "Teal'c was showing her around base and I met up with them in the elevator and we went to see the gate."

Rolling his eyes, Jack tried again. "Huh… so, what is this sexy pie?"

Now Sam was the one frowning, looking from Jack to Daniel and back. "You know," she tried, but seeing his blank face she continued. "Sexaap'ai or seraap'ai? The pedestal-shaped device," she gestured with her hands. "It has the star constellations on it, to-"

"The DHD!" Daniel exclaimed in an excited tone. When his friend looked confused, he held up his hand. "We call it the DHD, short for dial home device," he explained. "To dial other gates in order to establish a wormhole."

"Yes, the seraap'ai," Sam nodded again.

"Daniel?"

Pushing up his glasses, Daniel tried to think of a translation. Glancing to his side, he noticed the peculiar expression on Teal'c's face. "Teal'c?"

"Yeah, T, you know what she's talking about?"

"Colonel Carter is correct," his voice boomed through the gate room. "The DHD is often referred to as sexaap'ai or seraap'ai," he stated in a serious tone, frowning slightly.

"And…?" Jack inquired as he walked up to a bemused Samantha Carter-O'Neill and gently squeezed her hand, not wanting an obvious display of affection considering most of the SGC personnel didn't know they were married. Although he suspected his actions of the last week may have sparked new rumors, as he spent most of his time with Sam.

"It is a combination of sexaam'ai and xeraap'ai," he elaborated as he turned to Daniel Jackson, before glancing back at Colonel Carter, raising a brow.

"Of course," Daniel dragged a hand through his hair, silently chastising himself for not understanding sooner. "It means 'control.' So a control device, which is very accurate considering the DHD pretty much controls the stargate."

"Indeed."

Sam was about to speak up and say that was what she'd been saying all along when she caught Teal'c's gaze on her. "So, where is it?"

"We don't have one," Jack shrugged at her. "However, we MacGyvered three supercomputers and you made a dialing program, effectively allowing us to use the stargate."

"I did?"

"Yeah sure you betcha," he grinned at her, tempted to kiss that sweet befuddled expression on her face away when he remembered that this wasn't funny at all.  _Crap, what the hell_ , he clenched his fists as he thought about the implications. One Goa'uld term they could deal with, explain perhaps but two? Not to mention that they – with the exception of Teal'c, who was giving him a strange look – had never even heard of the term! "Why don't we head back to the infirmary, huh?"

Realizing that once again she had done – or better yet, said – something wrong, Sam followed Daniel and Teal'c as she felt Jack's hand on the small of her back. She was pretty sure they wouldn't let her take a look at the dialing program she apparently created, however unfair that might sound. Simply thinking about the  _stargate_ and the  _DHD_  gave her all these images in her mind about the working mechanisms, equations, blue prints and so much more she thought she was getting a headache! "Sure," she replied softly in a dejected tone. She had been enjoying walking around the base for a while, not being confined to her room, but apparently she was going back now and they hadn't even taken her outside for some fresh air yet!

"O'Neill," Teal'c spoke up when they reached the elevator.

"Why don't you guys go ahead," Jack said to Daniel and Sam waving them in the elevator, realizing Teal'c had something to tell him. Waiting for the doors to close he jerked his head back, motioning towards the control room. "Let's go to the briefing room."

"Indeed."

They made their way up in silence and only ran into Colonel Reynolds in the briefing room.

"General O'Neill," Albert Reynolds gave him a swift salute, which was waved down.

"Reynolds," Jack mumbled, looking around the room. "Is there a briefing?"

"No, Sir, I just had to deliver my latest mission and evaluation reports to the general," he gestured towards the office behind him.

"Good, because we need this room."

"Yes Sir," Albert nodded. "Sir?"

"Yes?"

"How is Colonel Carter?"

Pushing his hands into his pockets, Jack rocked back on his feet. "Physically she is doing fine, Reynolds. It's the memory that isn't working."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Sir," he meant it. He respected Colonel Carter a lot and thought that SG-1 was the best unit he'd ever had the pleasure of working with. Not to mention that Jack and Sam made quite the couple together and he knew how long it had taken them to get married….

Jack shrugged. "At least your team found her."

"Yes Sir," he nodded and realized that was the last of their conversation. "Teal'c."

"Colonel Reynolds," Teal'c bowed his head in acknowledgement and waited until the man had left, before taking a seat at the briefing table.

"So," Jack plopped down in another chair, "what is it what you wanted to say, T?"

"O'Neill," Teal'c started, searching for the correct phrasing. "Colonel Carter was indeed correct when she referred to the DHD as a sexaap'ai."

"Yeah, you already said that buddy," Jack shifted uncomfortably in his seat, knowing he wasn't going to like what the other man was going to say. "What's with the sexy pie and serial pie? I've never heard any of the snakes call it that."

"There are few Goa'uld that use the term sexaap'ai."

"And…?"

"The term seraap'ai is used most often, by almost all Goa'uld and their Jaffa."

Losing his patience, Jack simply stared at him, urging him to go on.

Holding his gaze, Teal'c spoke again. "I only know of one Goa'uld-"

"Ba'al," Jack spat out, realizing where his friend was going.

"Indeed."

"Crap," he muttered, clenching his fists. "The Tok'ra?"

"Not to my knowledge," Teal'c stated, shaking his head with minimal movement.

* * *

Taking a sip of the water Daniel had given her, Sam leaned back on the infirmary bed. "Daniel?"

"Yes?" he asked, looking up at her over the rim of his glasses.

"If I don't work here anymore, then where do I work? Or was my lab cleared out because of my… absence?"

"Ah, no," he shook his head. "You were reassigned."

"Then why am I on this base?"

"Well," Daniel started, straightening in his chair. "Because you came through the gate and this is the closest infirmary."

"I still work in this town?"

"No, you work in Nevada," he said cautiously, not trying to say too much per Janet and Dr. King's instructions.

"Shouldn't I have been transferred there then?"

Daniel cocked his head to the side, wondering what was with the twenty questions all of a sudden. "Sam, this entire program, the stargate, it's all classified."

"So, I don't work on it in Nevada?"

"Kind of," he shrugged. "You still work on the technology brought back, but their infirmary isn't used to dealing with things like this."

"People get abducted often?" She frowned at him, automatically looking around the room.

"No," he chuckled, shaking his head. "But we have standard operating procedures for everything and everyone that comes through the gate, including scheduled visits to the infirmary for checkups. Janet as the CMO has the most experience with alien diseases and medical situations and considering your… absence it still a mystery to everyone…."

Nodding, Sam settled back against the pillows. "I see… so, I live in Nevada too?"

"Yeah, you have an apartment there."

"With Jack?"

"Ah, no," Daniel stammered a bit, wondering if he should explain. "He lives in Washington DC because of his job."

"Oh," Sam swallowed, her mind already running light-years a minute. So she and Jack hardly saw each other even while they were married? Was she supposed to go to Washington with him or would he drop her off in Nevada after Janet released her?  _No, Janet told me that she would release me into Jack's care_ , she told herself. That would mean that they would go to DC, right? But if they hardly spent any time together before her disappearance wouldn't he tire of her easily? He'd already been hanging around a lot lately compared to eight months ago if Daniel's answer was any indication.

* * *

"General O'Neill," Janet almost yelled when she saw him coming down the corridor, about to turn for Sam's room.

"For crying out loud," he muttered under his breath, annoyed with yet another interruption while he just wanted to see his wife. 'What is it Doc?"

"I wanted to have a word with you about Sam," Janet said as she reached him.

"Did something happen?"

Placing a hand on his arm she shook her head. "No, nothing like that. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about releasing her from the infirmary."

"Really?" Jack piped up.

"Yes Sir," she smiled, glancing at her watch. "Can we discuss this in my office?"

"Of course," he nodded, "lead the way, Doc."

As soon as they reached her office, Janet beckoned him inside and sat in her chair, gesturing towards the one on the other end of her desk for him to use. "Have a seat, General."

"So, when do you think she can leave?"

Reaching for the latest blood work of Sam, Janet finally got a hold of the file and opened it. "Her latest blood work looks good, I gave her the pill the other day in the hopes that her hormone balance would return to normal and I will take another sample in an hour and will have the results of that in the morning."

"Okay," Jack drawled out, leaning back in the chair as his fingers drummed on his thigh.

"If those results are in order I will release her tomorrow," Janet looked up to see his reaction.

Jack grinned slightly as he nodded. "That's great, right?"

"It is," she agreed. "However, there are some things that I want to discuss with you before I let her out of my sight."

"Yes…?"

She browsed through the file and pulled out the report Dr. King had given her. "I want you to read this," she handed it to him, "it has Dr. King's conclusions in it as well as the subjects you can discuss with Sam."

"Oh come on, Janet," Jack tried as he glanced over the paper. "You can't seriously think I will remember all of this? I can hardly take it with me if Sam can't see it!"

Janet simply glared at him, knowing he wasn't as stupid as he claimed to be. Of course he could remember the list and he sure as hell wasn't dissuading her from her decision by using her first name! " _Jack_ ,"she smiled at him, "I want what is best for Sam and I hope that some of her memories will return if she goes home, but there are guidelines to be followed and if you can't promise me that you will keep your end of the deal, Sir, I can't release her into your care."

"I'm her husband, for crying out loud," Jack huffed, rolling his eyes and throwing the paper back on her desk. "What do you want me to do? Cut off all her questions whenever she gets close to something I'm not supposed to tell her? Yeah, that'll work!"

Ignoring his sarcastic tone, Janet handed him another set of papers with instructions on them.

* * *

"General Hammond," Teal'c greeted the former commander of Stargate Command as he entered the elevator.

"Teal'c," George smiled at him. "On your way down to see Sam?"

"Indeed."

"I haven't seen her since she's gotten back," he replied, feeling a little nervous. "How is she?"

"Colonel Carter is faring well," Teal'c replied with a nod.

"Good, good," he mumbled, glancing at his shoes. He'd known Sam since she was a little girl – he and Jacob had served together during the Cold War and had remained good friends – and he was proud of the things she had accomplished in life, not in the least of how she had handled her feelings for Jack O'Neill. If he were honest, he was probably even prouder of the fact that she'd pulled a fast one on the Air Force by getting married to the man the first – legal – chance she got! It was only too bad that Jacob hadn't been able to know it before he died. Then again, considering what had happened to his daughter, it was probably best that Jacob wasn't around!

His longstanding friendship with Jacob Carter was what had made him decide to visit Mark to tell him about Sam's condition. When he himself had been contacted he'd been overjoyed by the safe return of the young woman and at the same time he'd been devastated to learn about her amnesia, knowing what a brilliant mind she had! It wasn't because of all the knowledge that seemed to be lost to the world now – considering she was an authority on all things gate-related and most alien technology – but because he knew her and how she loved to try and figure out what something did or use her mind to save one of their own. He feared that part of her personality had been lost with all the memories as well… weren't it the events throughout your life that shaped a person?

Turning to the Tau'ri besides him, Teal'c raised an inquiring eyebrow. "General Hammond?"

"Huh?" he looked up, snapped out of his musings to see that they had arrived on level twenty-one. "Oh, right. Lead the way, Teal'c."

Without a word, Teal'c crossed the corridors and opened the door to Colonel Carter's room, finding O'Neill and Daniel Jackson already present.

"Hi Teal'c," Sam smiled at him when he pulled open the door. She was getting hungry and even a little bit tired, but at the moment she didn't want to dismiss her friends… yes, that was what they were to her now, her friends.

"Colonel Carter, there is someone here to see you," Teal'c inclined his head and stepped aside to let General Hammond enter.

"Hello Sam," George greeted her, smiling nervously as he stepped into the room. Now that he was retired he felt he could finally call her by her first name, even inside the SGC.

Sam frowned at the man, her mind conjuring up all kinds of images and she tried to hold onto one of them, but was failing miserably. Letting out a frustrated groan, she clenched her fist in the sheets before forcing herself to relax again and look at him. "Hello," she spoke softly and chastised herself as she heard her tone of voice rising at the end, making it sound more like a question than a real greeting.

"I'm glad to see you're doing better," he tried again as he walked up to her bed. "I spoke to some of the men on my way here and they all send their best and hope you recover soon."

"Thanks," she mumbled, as she wondered who these faceless men were. "… Uncle George!"

"Yes!" George exclaimed, smiling broadly at her, before looking around at the stunned faces of the other men.

"You remember, Sam?" Jack and Daniel asked simultaneously.

Sam shrugged as she finally held on to the image in her mind. "He had more hair," she told Jack, frowning.

Jack chuckled and shook his head, silently entwining their fingers after reaching for her hand. He was happy that she seemed to remember something, but at the same time he couldn't help but feel… left out. Why had she remembered Hammond and not him?

George self-consciously rubbed his hand over his scalp as he looked at her. "That's right," he admitted, "you haven't called me Uncle George in years." It was true, she – and Mark – used to call him that when they were younger, but they had stopped around the time they were teenagers. Probably by the time Sam had made up her mind about joining the Air Force, he now realized.

"This is great," Daniel exclaimed, smiling at everyone in the room. "I'm going to tell Janet!"

Sam hardly had the time to respond before he ran out of the room and she felt somewhat annoyed. It was as if she was some child or animal that had learned a new trick and everyone had to be told! Every time she remembered something it turned out to be a bad thing! First with the chaapa-  _stargate_ , wormholes, physics, DHD and now Uncle George! She blinked tiredly, the events of the day leaving her exhausted.

Jack immediately saw it when she tried to suppress a yawn and squeezed her hand. "I think that's enough commotion for today," he told no one in particular. "I'm sorry George, but she's getting tired and-"

"No need to apologize, Jack, Sam," he merely smiled at the couple, happy to see there was progress. "Teal'c, want to join me for dinner at the commissary?"

"Indeed," he bowed his head, before turning to leave.

Staring at their interlaced finger – his tanned and hers pale – Sam was deep in thought. She'd felt the urge to object when he'd spoken about her as if she wasn't there but at the same time she felt all warm and fuzzy as he tried to look out for her. She let out a deep sigh as today's events ran past her mind's eye. She was exhausted from the experiences and yet excited because she started to remember certain things, even if it weren't the things she wanted to remember – it was better than nothing.

"Sam?" Jack asked, trying to get her attention.

"What?"

"Do you want me to get you some food?"

Rubbing her hand over her stomach, she nodded as she scooted under the blankets. "Sure, I haven't had dinner yet."

"Okay," he nodded and stood, breaking their connection. "I'll just fill this first," he mumbled and grabbed the empty jug and went to the bathroom to fill it. When he got back to the room he was surprised to see her fast asleep already. Pouring himself a cup of water, Jack decided he might as well stay here because he wasn't going to wake her to eat something. He brushed some of the hair out of her face before caressing her cheek. She looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, such a contrast to during the day; these past few days there was always either a frown or a puzzled or confused look gracing her features. For years he had known he could watch her for hours, especially when she was working on some doohickey and was all caught up in her own excitement. But this was a different kind of expression, one that hurt him whenever he saw it. He let his hand trail down lower, following the curve of her arm before caressing her fingers again.

"Stay," Sam mumbled sleepily as she grabbed hold of his hand and pulled slightly.

Almost elated, Jack nodded and squeezed her hand as she rolled over on her side. Taking that as an invitation he lay down on the covers and wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay, Sam, just sleep," he whispered in her ear, waiting for her breathing to even out. It was almost eighteen hundred and he knew he couldn't afford to fall asleep yet, otherwise he wouldn't be able to sleep during the night and he had a telephone conference with the President in the morning! He just watched her relaxed features and enjoyed the feel of her soft body against his, realizing all too well that he shouldn't let himself get caught up in the moment.

After a while she stirred in his arms and pressed herself even tighter against him, and he couldn't help but notice the twitching of her fingers and the occasional movement of her legs. He was simply hoping it wasn't another one of those nightmares, considering she usually didn't move in her sleep unless it was to roll over or cuddle closer to him after a long, passionate night. Once again, he felt rage building inside of him as he remembered her nightmare from the night before, how panicked she'd acted and how terrified he himself had been.  _That_ had been something new; him being scared because of  _her_  nightmares! They were both soldiers with an extensive background in the military and both of them had seen and done things they wanted to forget. Those memories were accompanied by nightmares every now and then and, like her, he had accepted those. He had told her about it, she had told him about hers. But this was something different, he had never seen her act like that after a nightmare and all kinds of terrifying scenarios crossed his mind. He knew what Ba'al was capable of, but he also knew he hadn't learned the full extent of the snake's tortures and he couldn't help but wonder if maybe it was better that she didn't remember?

Shaking his head, Jack tightened his hold on his wife and kissed the nape of her neck, forcing himself to think of other things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thank you for 'A Karswyll' for figuring out a Goa'uld-like term for the DHD! Xrp and Sxm both mean 'control' in Ancient Egyptian, which we turned into 'xeraap'ai' and 'sexaam'ai' to match the spelling of the 'chaapa'ai' and figured that the combined term of 'seraap'ai' was the best term for a DHD.


	12. The Tok'ra

Jack quietly slipped from the bed when Daniel walked into the room, holding a tray with a lot of food on it. "Daniel," he greeted in a soft tone, not wanting to wake a still sleeping Sam.

"Jack, I brought you guys some food," he smiled, placing the tray on the side table. "I figured you two hadn't eaten anything yet."

"Thanks, Space Monkey," Jack replied.

Daniel simply shrugged, knowing Jack would have done it for him too. "I should get going, I have to prepare the VIP rooms for the Tok'ra."

"Oh," he nodded slowly, racking his brain to remember what Landry had told him earlier today, about Daniel and Teal'c's meeting with them. "Those snakes are coming over? Why?"

"Didn't General Landry tell you?" Daniel asked, his eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "We met with Yosuuf and Garshaw and they agreed to send someone to try and help Sam."

Frowning, Jack huffed. "Really? What do they think they can do?"

"I don't know, exactly," he shrugged, "they said they needed to examine her first before they could tell us if they could do something for her."

"Great," he muttered under his breath. He didn't trust those snakes, not after what happened with Kanan. The only one he'd trusted were Selmak and Jacob, but they had proven themselves many times, especially by defying the High Council and helping Earth – Sam, actually – to defeat the Replicators. Not that he didn't want Sam to get her memories back – he was all for it – but with those damned snakes there was always a catch, one they often 'forgot' to mention. "When will they get here?"

"Tomorrow, or the day after," Daniel informed him, rubbing his chin. "It depended on the mission one of their operatives was on."

"Of course it did," he sighed, rolling his eyes. "Well, thanks anyway, Daniel."

"Don't mention it," he smiled, before making his way to the door.

Hearing the door close softly behind him, Jack grabbed a plate and ate the food, without tasting much of it. He was still worried about Sam, although it looked like she hadn't had any nightmares up until now. That, of course, doesn't mean she won't get them somewhere during the night, he told himself. The only nightmares he ever got came to him in the middle of the night, but never before or close to sunrise. Next to that, he couldn't help thinking about what Teal'c had told him; how only Ba'al used that specific term for the DHD, as far as the Jaffa knew. Well, at least he could ask the Tok'ra if they got here, Jack thought grimly, not looking forward to their visit.

There was no doubt in his mind that they'd offer some untested method that would do more harm than good, especially if Freya and Anise were involved.  _God, I hope not!_  He wasn't sure if he could handle being around those two, not while worrying about his wife! Ever since Freya had come on to him after that first Zatarc testing he'd felt uncomfortable around him.  _Maybe I should tell her Sam and I are married?_  It wasn't just that he thought the Tok'ra might jump him again, but also the idea of Freya being interested in him sexually, while the snake wanted Daniel!  _At least it's not the other way around_ ….

Jack's head snapped up when he heard Sam sigh loudly and mumble something incoherently. Immediately jumping to his feet, he wanted to make sure she wasn't having another one of those nightmares, when he noticed her breathing had changed. "Sam?"

"Hm?" She mumbled, sleepily, not opening her eyes.

"Are you awake?" He asked, mentally slapping himself for the stupid question.

Sam snorted, a small smile gracing her lips. "No, I'm talking in my sleep."

"Funny," he teased her, pushing a strand of golden hair behind her ear, making her giggle. "Come on, open your eyes."

"No," she shook her head, enjoying the last remnants of sleep and the peace in her mind, not wanting to face the world just yet.

"Samantha," Jack drawled out her name.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard him say her full name in that sexy voice, feeling a blush creeping up her neck. "Jack?"

"Ah," he smiled, proud of himself. "There are those blue orbs."

Ducking her head shyly under his intense gaze, Sam clutched the sheets to her body and slowly sat up. "Oh, you got food?"

"Daniel brought it," Jack replied, walking around the bed again since she was turning away from him – facing the food – and evading his eyes. "I already ate, you should eat the rest. I know it's kind of late for dinner," he gestured towards the clock, "but you haven't had any yet."

Sam unconsciously rubbed her stomach, realizing she was indeed hungry. She almost felt like doing a little happy dance now that she was finally, for the first time since… well, as long as she could remember, feeling really hungry! "Okay," she reached for the tray and placed it into her lap.

"Just like that?" He responded without thinking, expecting her to argue that she wasn't hungry. "Never mind," Jack quickly said when she looked at him with big blue eyes, her fork frozen mid-air. "Just… eat."

"Yessir," Sam smirked, winking at him before taking a bite. "Hmm, delicious."

Jack swallowed hard and quickly plopped back in his chair, trying to keep his body under control. Had she been flirting with him? Of course, it wasn't very strange for a wife to flirt with her husband, but Sam didn't even remember him! Granted, she apparently felt comfortable enough around him to let him hold her while she slept, but still….  _She probably didn't even realize what she was doing,_ he told himself. Obviously she had no idea what that cute smirk and that saucy wink did to his blood pressure! "Never heard you so enthusiastic about commissary food before," he decided to play it casual and ignore his body's response, while shifting in his seat to get comfortable. Was it getting hot in here?

"Well," she spoke between bites, looking at him, "I don't remember the food being this good before."

He chuckled softly, glad that she was able to make jokes about her current condition. "Just wait until we get out of the mountain," he said, motioning towards her tray of food. He suddenly realized the double entendre of what he'd just said when she beamed that delicious megawatt smile at him, which only served to make his BDUs even more uncomfortable.

"Jack, where are you taking me?" Sam suddenly asked in a soft tone of voice, completely oblivious to his predicament.

Coughing, he tried to fight the images her words brought. "What?" He asked in a hoarse tone, quickly clearing his throat loudly before trying again. "What do you mean?"

"When Janet releases me," she reminded him, frowning at his lack of comprehension. Was he already forgetting that she was getting out of here soon? Did it mean that little to him? Or maybe he wasn't intending on staying with her?

"Oh," he nodded, "that."

"Yes," she said slowly, waiting for him to continue. When he didn't, she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Daniel told me that I was working in Nevada and living there, while you were working in Washington."

 _Oh, so Daniel_ is _allowed to tell her that while Fraiser got me a list with forbidden subjects?_ Jack huffed to himself, shaking his head slightly. "Yes, that is true. But there's this little apartment here in town where we'll go." He decided to somewhat stick to the Doc's list by leaving out that it had been Jacob's apartment to avoid having to tell her about her late father.

"We also have an apartment here?" She asked, incredulous.

"Yeah sure you betcha," he grinned at her. "Nothing too fancy, but it's something."

Sam's insides almost did a flip-flop when he gave her that charming lopsided grin and she quickly evaded his gaze, looking down at her now-empty plate. It was obvious her body remembered him, she thought as her heart was beating loudly in her chest at his attention. "I see," she mumbled, trying to sound as if nothing was wrong. "At least that way we'll be close by Janet and the infirmary," she stated, more to herself than him.

"Why, is something wrong?" Jack asked, getting worried. "Are you afraid you'll need medical attention or-"

"No, it's not that," she quickly reassured him, holding up her hand. "Janet said she wanted me to stay near for further tests."

"Oh, okay," he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding as he leaned back in his chair. Changing his mind, he got up and got her empty tray to set it aside. "Want some more water?" He asked, pouring himself a cup.

"Sure," Sam nodded, placing her feet flat on the bed to hug her knees to her chest. She silently took the cup from him and quickly downed it, watching him do the same. It was a little after twenty hundred hours, she realized, glancing at the clock.

Jack fiddled with the empty cup in his hands, not knowing what to say exactly. Instead, he chose to let the comfortable silence reign longer, the only sound being the ticking of the clock with every passing second. He was mentally going over the list that Fraiser had given him, the one that said what he should and shouldn't talk about with Sam according to that Doctor King. Jack could care less about what the man thought he could tell his wife and was still contemplating whether to simply lie and tell Janet that he'd follow her instructions or just ignore the entire subject. The latter appealed to him most.

He would, however, follow her medical instructions for Sam's physical health to the letter! Now that her withdrawal was over she could finally keep food and liquids down, but he was one hundred percent sure that the last few days weren't enough to bring her back to her old weight. She was still rather skinny, although she'd retained most of her luscious curves.

"Jack?"

Startled by her voice breaking the silence, he looked up to find her dark blue eyes on him. "Yes?"

"What about my family?"

 _Crap, what to do now?_  "Sam?" He asked, trying to avoid having to answer her question.

She frowned at him, wondering why he wouldn't answer. "My parents…."

"What about them?" Jack tried to keep it cool, making it seem like he was simply waiting for her to continue instead of acknowledging the almost silent question her trailing voice posed.

"My mother," Sam whispered, looking down at her hands, clasped around her knees. "She's dead, isn't she?"

"Look Sam," he leaned forward and grabbed one of her hands, trying to figure out whether to confirm, deny or ignore.

Shaking her head, she pulled her hand from him and scooted back into the pillows. "I was thinking-"

"I'd be surprised if you ever stopped," he tried joking, giving her a smile.

"-and wondering why I remembered Uncle George, especially since he said I hadn't called him that in a long time. And he didn't have any hair," she frowned, looking up at her husband. "I held on to that picture in my mind and tried to think why it was so important. I just realized that he was there for me when my mother died," Sam ended in an almost-sob.

"Sam," Jack whispered, joining her on the bed and pulling her into a hug.

"I'm right, aren't I?"

 _To hell with the damn list!_ "About your mother, yes," he squeezed her tighter when she really did sob and buried his head in the crook of her neck. "About Hammond, I'm not sure," she'd never really spoken about her mother's death in all the time he'd known her, only mentioned the essentials when the memories had appeared while she'd been trying to remember some of Jolinar's memories. "But I wouldn't be surprised if he was there for you," Jack whispered against her shoulder. He meant it, Hammond was that kind of guy. Especially knowing Jacob hadn't coped well with his wife's death and the estrangement with his kids that followed after, Jack had no trouble imagining that Jacob's old friend and his wife had been there for Sam and Mark.

"He was," Sam sniffled, her hands on his chest clenching, fisting his shirt to try and keep her emotions under control. How could she be upset about something she hardly remembered? She just felt it, knew that her mother had died but she couldn't remember the woman and yet she wanted to cry over losing her! "And," she leaned back slightly, wanting to look him in the eye, "my Dad?"

Jack's brown eyes locked onto her blue ones and before he could even decide how to break the news, he saw understanding dawning in her eyes. "He, ah… Jacob, he-"

"He's dead too, isn't he?" She asked, pleading him to answer her with her eyes. "Jack," she tried again, casting her eyes downward. "I can't explain it, but I just feel like he's gone too."

"You're right," Jack whispered as he gently took hold of her chin and forced her to look up. "He died last year."

"While I was missing?" She asked, her eyes widening, but before Jack could answer, she shook her head. "Of course not," she said more to herself than anyone else, "or else I wouldn't have  _known_."

"A few months before you, er… went missing," Jack confirmed, gently caressing her cheek with his roughened thumb, brushing silent tears away. "It was his apartment."

Confused, Sam creased her brow. "What?"

"Jacob left the apartment to you. He'd bought it to be closer to you in the first place," he explained. "Not that he was there a lot, but that's a whole different story."

"Oh," she nodded, finally understanding. "And I kept it?"

"Well," he sighed, leaning back slightly now that her tears were gone, "I was reassigned to Washington and you to Nevada. Nothing was keeping us here, except the occasional job-related visits and friends, so we-"

"Sold our house?"

"Yeah," Jack nodded, not trying to correct her by explaining they still had their own houses at the time because they hadn't gotten married until they were both waiting to start their new assignment and the regs didn't apply. "You decided you wanted to keep the apartment a little longer and I agreed; that way you still had that emotional connection to your father and we had a place to stay if we were in town."

"I see," Sam mumbled, processing this new information. "So, it's just you and me?"

"You, me and our family here at the SGC," he told her, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, before pulling her back in his arms.

"No kids?"

"No kids," he shook his head.  _Not yet, anyway_. Jack didn't think he should tell her that right now, not wanting to push her.

* * *

"General O'Neill," Janet said coolly as she found him in the briefing room.

"Doc," Jack said warily, noticing her facial expression and stance. "What can I do for you?"

"I hear you've been talking to Sam," she replied, crossing her arms as she stood in front of him, looking up to hold his gaze.

"Well," he tried to act casually and shrugged, "she is my wife."

Narrowing her eyes at him, Janet wasn't buying it. "I thought we had covered the points you weren't supposed to tell her."

"That was on the list?" he asked, giving her his best innocent expression.

"Yes Sir," she gritted her teeth, now clenching her fists at her side. "It was one of the conditions for me to release Sam into your care."

"Geez Doc," Jack whined, sitting back on the edge of the briefing room table. "I told you I couldn't remember the  _entire_  list!"

"Right," Janet rolled her eyes, huffing slightly. She should have known he'd ignore her and Dr. King's instructions. "You could have caused major damage, Sir."

"Well, I didn't, did I?" Jack asked, getting impatient with this ridiculousness. "Besides, Sam brought it up and she was the one who remembered it all, I just filled in the blanks."

"Of course you did," she muttered under her breath, having trouble getting angry with him if what he was saying was true. It would mean Sam's memory might be coming back! "Look Sir, if you don't follow my orders-"

"Instructions," he corrected her.

"If you don't follow my instructions," she rolled her eyes before continuing, "I don't know if I can release Sam into your care."

"Oh, come on Doc," Jack cried out, throwing his hands up in the air.

"No Sir, if you disregard my medical instructions then-"

"It was a stupid list," he objected. "I would never endanger Sam's health, you should know that."

"I thought I did," Janet petulantly stated, crossing her arms again, glaring at him.

Jack sighed and scrubbed his hand over his face. "Janet," he tried, cocking his head to the side. "It would break Sam's heart if you'd refuse to let me take her home."

Swallowing, Janet tried to keep her facial expression in check. She knew he was right; Sam had been asking her for days when she could finally leave the infirmary. Janet wanted her friend to leave, to try and get back to her old life and maybe she would even remember more! But the doctor in her was fighting with the friend, even though she knew Jack O'Neill would never hurt Sam. "Sir," she let out a deep sigh.

"I swear, Janet, I'll follow your medical instructions, regarding her  _physical_  health to the letter," Jack told her, holding up his hand.

"Fine," she relented, "but I want her back here for regular checkups and-"

"Yeah, about that," Jack grimaced, dragging a hand through his hair.

"What?" She almost snapped and added a belated "Sir" when she saw his eyebrows shoot up.

Jack straightened and pushed his hands in his pockets, glancing at the floor before looking back at the petite doctor. "I just got off the phone with the President and he wants me back in Washington."

"When?" Janet gasped, her mind already trying to figure out a solution as soon as the words left her mouth.

"Yesterday," he groaned. "I told him about Sam and he understood, but said I was needed back at Homeworld Security. Apparently, the videoconferences aren't enough for the JCS and the IOA."

"So, when are you going back, Sir?"

"Probably the day after tomorrow," Jack rolled his eyes at her. "Sam is coming with me," he warned her. "I'm not leaving her here."

"Of course not," Janet responded sharply, the thought hadn't even crossed her mind! She wasn't going to keep Sam here, despite her need to check up on her friend regularly.

"The President already said he wanted to see her too."

Janet frowned. "He  _does_  know that her memory isn't working… properly, right?"

"Yeah, I told him, Landry told him, Hammond even told him. But apparently, Hayes likes her and wants to make sure she's alright. Something about her being a national treasure and all," Jack groaned, always having known that one day he was going to regret telling the President of the United States that Samantha Carter was a national treasure. "I think he wants to soothe his conscience for declaring her KIA without any substantial evidence and having planned that memorial service in a few days," he spat out, still not having forgiven the man that, even knowing that he was probably feeling the pressure from the JCS and others.

"Well," Janet sighed, smoothing her hair back. "I analyzed the blood sample I took last night from Sam and everything is looking good, so I guess you can take her home in a few hours, Sir. After I have given you a full briefing on her medical instructions."

"Yes Ma'am," he smirked. "Wait, in a  _few_  hours?"

"Daniel said the Tok'ra are coming today?" She asked, surprised that he didn't know. "To examine Sam and see if they can do anything for her."

"Oh, right," he groaned, "I forgot about the snakeheads."

* * *

"General O'Neill, Doctor Jackson, General Landry," the Tok'ra nodded and bowed slightly in a greeting.

"I thought you said there was only going to be one snake, Danny boy," Jack scowled at his friend, ignoring Anise.

"No, I didn't," he denied, shaking his head.

"Yes you did."

"Didn't."

"Did."

"Didn't!"

"Did!"

"Jack, Dr. Jackson," Hank interrupted their argument, rolling his eyes. "Excuse them," he waved towards the two men as he smiled at the three Tok'ra in front of him. "Freya and Anise, it's good seeing you again," he greeted the attractive woman he'd met on several previous occasions.

"It most certainly is, General," Anise smiled at him after quickly glancing at the other two men. "I am most pleased to see you are present as well, General O'Neill and Doctor Jackson as I had been informed that neither of you would be staying at Stargate Command."

"Yeah well," Jack glared at her, "tone it down a bit, will ya?"

"I do not understand," she replied, looking at the other Tau'ri for an explanation.

"What Jack means to say that it's good to see you again too, although we wish it would be under different circumstances," Daniel explained.

Stepping off the ramp, Anise stopped in front of the two attractive males. "But I do not."

"Okay, that's it. Dial the gate, Walter," Jack barked at the Chief Master Sergeant in the control room, swinging his arm in the air. "Let's send them back to Tok'ra land!"

"Jack," Daniel cried out, pulling his arm down. "I'm sure Anise didn't mean it like that."

"Of course she didn't," Jack muttered under his breath, just loud enough for Daniel to hear.

"I most certainly meant what I said, Doctor Jackson. Had the circumstances been different you and General O'Neill would not have been present, am I correct?"

"Well, yeah," Daniel admitted, shuffling on his feet. "But the reason you're here is Sam, Garshaw said you might be able to help if you were able to examine her yourself and that's what I meant. That you would prefer Sam was alright while meeting us, rather than having to come because she is hurt."

"I see," Anise replied, nodding her understanding but not confirming his answer. She did not understand why the two men were so attentive to the now-Colonel Carter and had never been able to understand.

"I must agree with you, Doctor Jackson. It is most unfortunate and we were saddened to hear of the predicament of Jacob's daughter."

Hank Landry looked up when one of the other Tok'ra spoke and they both took off their sand colored robes, leaving them in the typical brown leather Tok'ra outfit. "I don't believe we've met?"

"Jalen," Jack greeted the young woman, remembering her from when she'd so generously offered them a ride after flying an asteroid through Earth. "It's good to see you again. You too, Raully."

"Thank you, General O'Neill," both women bowed slightly, glad the Tau'ri leader seemed less apprehensive about them than their sister.

"Yeah, we had no idea you'd survived the explosion from Hathor's facility, Raully," Daniel admitted.

"I was most fortunate in my escape," she informed them. "Ever since, I was on a long term mission and as you are aware the High Council does not-"

"Yeah, yeah," Jack made an impatient gesture with his hand as he interrupted her, "they don't like sharing information."

"Indeed. However, the charade is no more, now you may call me Mingala," she spoke in her Tok'ra voice, "and my host 's name is Thina."

"Very well, Jalen, Anise, Mingala, if you would please follow me to the briefing room," Hank told them, smiling. He had always known Jack didn't like the Tok'ra very much – not very strange considering his experience with the one named Kanan – and decided it would be better for him to lead this meeting. Not only because he was the commanding officer of the SGC nowadays, but also because Jack seemed to be eager to send the Tok'ra – or more specifically, Anise – back. He wondered what that was all about….

* * *

Sam was still rubbing her forehead, long after the three women had left her to confer about their findings. She could still feel the heat of the red beam from the seneb'kesh after they had scanned her body and her brain. Not to mention that she'd been afraid she was getting sick again when they were in the room with her, crowding her and she'd gotten that nauseating tingling in the pit of her stomach. Luckily, she'd been able to keep breathing and tried to relax, not giving into her body's desire to throw up that wonderful breakfast of this morning, or the blue jello she'd just had.

"Sam, are you okay?" Jack asked, getting back into the room. Those damn Tok'ra had insisted everyone else stay in the observation room while they had scanned Sam's head for trauma and injuries.

"Yeah, it's just an awkward feeling," she gave him a small smile and let her hand drop from her forehead to squeeze his hand reassuringly.

Squinting at her, he leaned forward and brushed her bangs from her face. "Are you sure? You look a little pale." He couldn't shake the nasty feeling inside of him, thinking there was something wrong with her. After they had eaten something last night, Janet had dropped by and gotten the blood samples she needed and eventually he had slipped into bed with Sam again and they'd fallen asleep. Only to awaken in the middle of the night, because Sam was having nightmares again. Her reaction was almost similar to the last few times, but at least this time he'd been able to refrain from trying to keep her still and pushing her into the mattress while holding her hands. But she'd still been shaken once she woke and, if he were honest, so was he.

"I'll be fine, I just…." She frowned, trying to formulate what had been bothering her. "I got this sickening feeling in my stomach when they were here. I don't know, probably just felt crowded with all those strangers," she shrugged, as if it was nothing, not wanting Jack to be worried about her.

"Oh," he nodded, realizing she was referring to sensing the naquadah from their snakes.  _Better not tell her now, it can wait_ , he told himself as he stepped back. He couldn't remember her ever getting sick from it though. "I'll make sure they'll keep their distance once they get back."

"Thanks," she smiled sheepishly at him, feeling like she was overreacting, but happy that he wanted to make it easier for her.

"Don't mention it," he grinned at her.

"Jack," Daniel greeted him as he walked into the room. "Anise and Raul- _Mingala_  are back," he corrected himself and gestured behind him.

"Where is Jalen?"

"Do not concern yourself with that, General O'Neill," Freya almost purred as she stood next to him. "Anise and I, as well as Mingala and Thina have reached a conclusion."

"Oh and Jalen doesn't get a vote?" he couldn't help but ask and stepped closer to Sam's bed – and, more importantly, away from Freya and Anise.

Freya smiled at him and placed her hand on his arm as she gently shook her head. "Jalen is not specialized in this area, she was merely escorting us."

"So, what have you come up with?" Daniel asked eagerly, hoping they could help Sam.

"The only possible solution is what you call a memory recall device as the one that Martouf used on Colonel Carter-"

"No," Jack shook his head, interrupting Raully – or Mingala, whatever her name was. "I don't think so."

"Surely Colonel Carter can decide for herself, can she not?" Anise asked, taking over from Freya, giving the woman on the bed a glance.

"I don't know," Sam replied hesitantly, looking between the woman and Jack. "I've already used it before…?"

"Yeah, we all have," Daniel grimaced, remembering the mockup complex of the SGC in Hathor's facility. "It's a coin shaped device that is placed on your temple and stimulates certain areas of the brain, making it possible to recall memories. You can even hook it up to a sort of screen, so that the memories play out like a movie."

"That sounds… dangerous," she bit her lip, trying to imagine what the device must be capable of if it attaches to one's temple and could actually conjure up stored memories.

"It is," Jack confirmed, nodding with his arms crossed, glaring at the two Tok'ra.

"Janet?"

Stepping forward, Janet found herself standing next to Daniel. "Well, I don't know, Sam. I've never been able to study the technology as you've only used it off world, but I must agree with you and General O'Neill; it sounds like a risky thing to do."

"I assure you, it is not," Anise stated.

"Like those bracelets of yours?" Jack sneered, rolling his eyes.

"Come on, Jack," Daniel objected, looking around the room, letting his eyes rest a bit longer on Sam. "If it can help Sam remember…."

"Daniel, we're not playing Russian Roulette with Carter's brain."

"It could blow up?" Sam asked, her eyes wide in shock.

"Rest assured, such an event has never taken place before," Mingala replied, "nor are there any indications it is possible."

"There's a first time for everything," Jack countered.

"Look Jack, I'm no fan of the device myself," Daniel frowned as he remembered the painful procedure. "But what if-"

"Daniel!" Jack threw up his hands. "Remember our little trip to Netu, in how much pain Carter was when good ol' Marty used that thing on her? How Apophis used it on her combined with that blood stuff? Her memories were all screwed up, Daniel!"

"Don't you think it's worth the risk?" he asked, turning to Jack.

"No, I don't."

"But Jack-"

"No," he shook his head resolutely. He had seen what a mess Sam was after that little trip to Netu and for her it really had been hell! She had told him later on that she was still haunted by some of the memories of Jolinar that had been conjured up during those sessions with Martouf and Apophis. This time, he wouldn't allow those snakes to play with her head like that.

"Colonel Carter's memories must be very precious," Anise tried again, positive she could convince those Tau'ri. "From what Doctor Jackson and the Jaffa Teal'c told Garshaw the High Council assumes the Colonel has been held by Ba'al for almost eight of your months. Certainly this must have provided her with information-"

"Here we go again," Jack cried out, effectively shutting her up. "I told you, Daniel, there's always a catch! You didn't come here out of respect for Jacob or because of the alliance, you immediately realized there was a chance for insider information about Ba'al and his clones!"

"Colonel Carter," Anise decided to try and approach the woman this time. Perhaps she would be more willing considering her scientific background, Dr. Jackson most certainly seemed tempted.

"Don't bother," Jack interrupted her again. "She's not doing it."

"Jack," Daniel whined, knowing his friend had good reasons but also realizing this might be the only chance Sam would have.

"Daniel, maybe the General is right," Janet grabbed his arm gently, to get his attention. "Sam has already used the device twice and I know it was upsetting for her, for all of you."

Understanding General O'Neill and the Tau'ri doctor would not be changing their minds, Mingala tried a different approach. "Do you not have free choice amongst your people?"

"Yes we do," Daniel nodded an affirmative, wondering where she was going with this. "Why?"

"Does that not allow Colonel Carter to make this choice on her own? After all, it are her memories we wish to retrieve."

"Yeah, particularly the ones about Ba'al, huh?" Jack asked sarcastically. "Not to mention it will also be  _her_  brain that's at risk, not yours."

"Still, the choice would be hers," Anise chimed in.

Sam was still thinking about the possibilities; everyone had a point. Daniel was right that she might remember, it could be her only choice. Even those two women made a good point about important information that could be retrieved. Jack and Janet on the other hand, were looking out for her health and wellbeing. What was she to do?

"Actually, it's not," Janet hesitantly stated, feeling all eyes on her. "The decision is General O'Neill's."

"Please explain," Anise demanded.

"Yeah, Jack what's going on?"

"Considering Sam's mental state she is incapable of making an informed decision," Janet explained, "therefore, the medical decision – which it is in this case – goes to the next of kin."

"I'm not insane, Janet," Sam protested.

"I know, honey," she tried calming her friend. "It's just for your own safety, you don't remember all the things you've gone through and can't comprehend the risks without your memories."

"Of course, because Jack is her husband, he is the next of kin and thus the decision is his," Daniel stated aloud, finally able to connect the dots.

Shocked, Anise glanced between the two Tau'ri officers. "You and Colonel Carter are mated?"

"Yeah sure you betcha," Jack smirked at her. "And no way in hell am I allowing you to do this."

"Jack, come on, let's think about this," Daniel tried again, still not able to give up. "Maybe you and Sam should talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about, Space Monkey. I'm not letting them dig around in her brain because they want information on Ba'al which Sam might not even have!"

"But Sam," he turned to his best friend, "these are your memories we're talking about!"

"Daniel, cut it out," Jack groaned, not wanting him to confuse Sam further.

"Why don't we leave you two alone so you can talk about this," Janet offered and herded the others out of the room. "We'll be back later."


	13. Going Home

Sam patiently waited until the room was empty, with the exception of her and Jack. She still wasn't sure whether to be angry that Janet had declared her unfit to make medical decision regarding her own treatment or to be relieved that someone was taking the decision out of her hands. She didn't like feeling helpless, that was for sure, but it looked like Janet and Jack were both looking out for her welfare. On the other hand, Daniel was her friend as well and he wanted her to take the chance the women were offering her, using that little device to recall her lost memories. Her first instinct was to decline once she heard what the little device actually did! If it was capable of recalling someone's memories by being attached to the temple it had to be a technological marvel as well as dangerous, considering the brain was so very sensitive – by now she had firsthand experience to testify to that.

A few days ago she'd been worried that perhaps her memories were truly  _gone_  and she would have refused any help from a device that powerful, but now that she'd started to remember Uncle George and what had happened to her parents, she wasn't so sure. It definitely looked as if her memories were simply repressed, but what would be the point in that? Was it not usually traumatic experiences that were suppressed by the subconscious? Granted, the death of both her parents was not a cherished event but why would she forget  _everything_  about her life? Then again, if her amnesia was the result of what happened to her during her months of absence, perhaps it was better that she couldn't remember what happened to her….

"Jack?"

"Look Sam," he started, dragging a hand through his hair in frustration. "I know you don't like this," he gestured with his hand, trying to encompass the situation they found themselves in. "But the Doc is right; without your memories you can't make an informed decision."

"Well, then, inform me," she stated as she slipped from the bed and started pacing the floor, glancing at him every now and then.

"It's not that simple," he protested, frowning. "You know that."

"Do I?"

Ungraciously plopping down in the chair, he sighed. "Yeah, you do."

Taking in his defeated form, Sam stopped pacing and sat on the edge of the bed, facing him. "All I know is that they are offering me a chance to  _remember_ ," she emphasized the word, pleading him to talk to her about this with her eyes. "And you're so damn adamant that I can't use it!"

"Sam-"

"No Jack," she shook her head, "you hardly let them finish their offer before shooting them down. Hell, you didn't even  _ask_  me how I felt about it!"

"Fraiser already told me earlier… there was no reason for me to-"

Shocked, Sam gaped at him. "No reason? No reason to ask my opinion before making such a huge decision?"

"Ah crap," Jack muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "That's not what I meant, Sam."

"Well, it sure as hell sounded like it," she grunted.

"C'mon," he tried again, "there is always a catch with those snakes and I'm not about to let them have their way with you…."

Hearing his voice trail off, Sam squinted at him. The guys and Janet had explained to her that the women, who were called Tok'ra, were aliens, allies of them. Which was exactly why she was wondering why there would be a catch, surely one should be able to trust their allies? Instead, there had been hostility in the room when the Tok'ra had gotten here, most of it radiating from Jack. It made her wonder what it was all about and why he was holding such a grudge against them, even calling them snakes! "Why?"

Jack's head snapped up as she almost whispered the word. "Why what?"

"Why don't you want me to remember?"

"God Sam," he replied, jumping up and sitting beside her on the bed. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close to him as he closed his eyes and nuzzled her hair before letting his chin rest on the top of her head. "I'd do anything for you to remember, but I will not risk your sanity, your brain, your  _life_  for it!"

Touched by the emotions in his voice, Sam slowly nodded against his shoulder. "But I've used it in the past, right? We all have and I'm still here."

"That was different," he murmured in her hair, enjoying the feeling of her in his arms.

"How?"

Realizing he couldn't really convince her without telling her more, he decided to once again ignore Dr. King's instructions. "Well, the one time we all used it was very brief and the memories we were forced to remember weren't lost or anything."

Scrunching up her nose, Sam tightened her grip on his waist. "I don't understand. Why use the device if your memories aren't gone?"

"It was a trap," Jack elaborated, "they wanted information from us and pretended to be from the future…." Hearing her snort, he smirked. "Never mind, anyway, they were simply asking us questions so they could literally see what our minds came up with as an answer."

Sam found it hard to believe anyone would try to pretend to be from the future, but let him finish his explanation anyway. "Then what happened?"

"I realized what they were doing and found you and the others," he shrugged, not really wanting to be reminded of Hathor's mock up of the SGC and what had happened to them there.

"I see," she replied, thinking back to when those Tok'ra had told her about their solution. "What was that about someone named Marty then?"

Jack grimaced at the mention of Martouf's name. He'd never been too fond of the guy, not with the way he'd been acting towards Sam and trying to charm her with his boyish good looks. "There were some things buried in your subconscious and that information was needed to save someone important," he told her, not liking the way he had to pick his words carefully.

"Really, what? And who?" Sam asked, leaning back to look at his face.

"That's not important now," Jack tried to dismiss her question, but still felt like a bastard when he saw the flash of hurt in her eyes before she nodded slowly.

Trying not to feel hurt, she simply nodded, knowing he wouldn't tell her more if she asked. "Oh okay."

"Sam," he gently cupped her cheek, forcing her to look at him. "You remembered what we needed back then, even if it did not go down the way we'd hoped… still, you remembered a lot more than just that and it has been haunting you ever since. You've had several nightmares about the things you remembered yet never lived through yourself," he saw her frown at that and quickly continued. "It was a painful experience for you, not to mention the recalling of the memories itself was pretty painful. Besides, there is no way to control what you will remember. You can try to target specific memories by thinking of something similar, but that's kind of hard with you…"

"Without me remembering  _anything_ ," Sam finished his sentence, swallowing hard as she was once again confronted with the thought that she might not remember anything ever again!

"Hey," Jack whispered, holding her chin gently. "You'll remember something, eventually," he tried to reassure her, even if he wasn't sure himself. "You already remembered something about Hammond and your parents."

"I know," she glanced down, fighting the desire to simply grab the device and try it out anyway. She wanted to remember her life… more specifically, she wanted to remember Jack and  _their_  life together.

Leaning forward, Jack pressed a soft kiss on the tip of her nose, unable to repress the urge any longer. "It'll work out, Sam, but I won't let them hurt you over something that might not even work – or at least not the way you want it to."

Sam gave him a small smile, feeling her cheeks burn after his affectionate gesture and she nodded gently. "Okay, I… I trust you," she admitted, surprised that she  _really_  did trust him to make such a decision concerning her life, her memories!

"Okay, good," he replied in kind as he got up, before he got carried away with his emotions and her presence. "I'll let them know."

"Just…" she bit her lip and then shook her head. "Never mind."

"What? You can tell me, Sam."

She shrugged and made a dismissive wave with her hand as she ducked her head, feeling slightly embarrassed. "No, I just wanted to ask you something, it's nothing."

"You can ask me anything," Jack told her, trying to convince her with his eyes. He didn't want her to be afraid to ask him something, no matter what it was! It was one of the reasons he didn't like  _the list_  the two doctors had given him.

"Well," she bit her lip, contemplating her next course of action. Seeing the earnest in his eyes, she decided to just ask. "Why do you dislike those Tok'ra?"

"Oh," he shrugged, not expecting her to ask him that. "Bad experiences, that's all. Nothing for you to be worried about."

"So, it's got nothing to do with… Anise or Freya, whatever her name is," Sam frowned, confusing herself.

Jack felt his eyebrows rise of their own volition and cleared his throat. "What? Why would you think that?"

"I may not remember," she frowned, not wanting to acknowledge the strong feelings that had come to the surface earlier, when Jack and that woman were standing next to her bed. "But I'm not blind."

"What are you talking about, Sam?" he asked cautiously, slightly nervous as he had a feeling he knew what she was referring to.

Sighing, Sam rolled her eyes before locking gazes with his brown eyes. "I can still read between the lines and there was definitely something between you two."

"What, no," Jack immediately shook his head, protesting at the mere thought alone. However, he couldn't help the fleeting memory of Freya coming on to him right after that first Zatarc test.

"You don't have to lie to me," she told him, seeing his face flush slightly and thinking that perhaps that was… guilt in his eyes? "It was in the past, right?"

"Sam," he scrubbed his face with his hand, before grimacing. "There's nothing between that snakehead and me, okay? She's got the hots for Daniel."

"Right," Sam huffed, clearly not believing him. Why was he being this difficult about it? Couldn't he just admit there was something? She'd seen the possessive hand on his arm and heard the purring voice of the overly exposed woman, leaving nothing to the imagination. Or maybe it had been an issue between them before she'd gone missing? Or… what if something happened between him and that woman  _while_  Sam had been missing?

"Seriously Carter," Jack groaned. "She tried to come on to me years ago, but nothing ever happened."

"She seemed awfully surprised to hear that we were married."

Jack blinked at her, knowing she was right but at the same time wondering if perhaps Samantha Carter, kickass confident soldier was…  _jealous_? "Well yeah, we haven't exactly been in touch for quite some time."

"Oh," she said slowly, narrowing her eyes at him, trying to read his expression. It didn't look like he was trying to hide something, as a matter of fact, it looked like he was telling the God honest truth.  _Good_ , Sam thought to herself. "Okay, well go tell her that I'm not going to need her help."

"Yes Ma'am," he smirked at her, throwing her a sloppy salute before sauntering out of the room. He'd always known that Sam disliked Anise and Freya, but Jack had simply assumed it was because of the Tok'ra's behavior with those armbands and later on the Zatarc testing. Never in a million years had he expected her to be  _jealous_  of that snakehead! Of course, he couldn't be sure she was actually feeling that way, but it sure looked like it….

* * *

"Are you sure about this, Janet?" Sam frowned as she stepped out of the car, squinting at bright sunbeams.

Nodding, Janet got out from behind the wheel and slammed the door shut, before locking the car. "Yes Sam, it's exactly what we need."

"So, we did this often then?"

She shrugged, rearranging her purse as she slipped her car keys in it. "Every now and then… you know, in our line of work – in this  _man's_  army – we need some pampering."

"I see," Sam mumbled, following the petite doctor into the building. There were no signs or feelings of familiarity as she waited for Janet to tell the receptionist they were here for their appointment and looked around the waiting room. "Are you sure?"

"Most definitely," Janet lied. She couldn't remember how many times she'd begged Sam to go with her to the spa, but she could count the times her best friend had – reluctantly – agreed on one hand, including the one time before her wedding. "You  _love_  it," she tried to reassure her as the receptionist signaled that they could go to the dressing room. "Besides, you said yourself that you weren't feeling like… yourself."

"Well, yes," she reluctantly agreed, following her into the room. "But I don't know, it just sounds so…."

"Trust me, it'll be great," Janet waved her protests away and quickly divested herself of her clothes. "It will be good for you to relax." It was true, Sam was still very tense not that it was strange considering her current condition, but it wasn't good for her blood pressure and what not. "It's not like you had anything else to do, right?"

"No, I guess not," Sam admitted as she slowly took off her clothes. "Jack had that urgent videoconference and after that he was supposed to be in on the briefing with those Tok'ra and Teal'c…."

"I know," she nodded. General O'Neill had asked her to stay with Sam, keep her company or go do something fun. Although she was pretty sure he hadn't expected her to take his wife with her to the spa while he tried to wrap up some last briefings about Ba'al and his clones – not that she could tell Sam that – before finally taking Sam home with him. At the moment, Janet didn't want to think about that; she was happy that Sam was physically healthy and ready to leave her infirmary to spend time with her husband in the hopes of remembering more things about her life, but at the same time she knew the General would be taking her with him to Washington tomorrow or the day after. It would be hard without her friend, having been at her side the entire time since she'd gotten back home a few weeks ago, especially since she'd been missing for almost eight months! Next to that, she was worried about Sam's health, mentally as well as physically if she wasn't able to check up on her.

Glancing at her friend, Sam tried to overcome the dread she'd been feeling since Janet had told her where they were going and sighed. "What kind of treatments did you sign us up for?"

"Massages, mud baths, manicure, pedicure, waxing and all sorts of pampering. Don't worry; it'll only be a few hours. I'm sure we'll be done by the time General O'Neill is done at the SGC as well and if not, he can make sure everything is ready at the apartment before I drop you off."

"Waxing?" Sam gulped, grimacing slightly.

"Well," Janet smirked at her. "You were gone for almost eight months," she made a vague hand gesture towards the other woman's legs before going up the rest of her body.

Sam snorted and wrapped a white robe around her body, before glancing in the mirror. "What about my hair? I still can't get used to seeing… me," she admitted shyly, raking a hand through her long blond locks.

"Yeah, it has definitely grown, at least four inches."

"Do you think I should cut it?"

* * *

Jack quickly moved through the apartment, checking to see if Sam was holing up in one of the rooms. Although, he suspected she'd have shown herself the moment he'd unlocked the door and yelled her name… Nope, no sign of his wife. Sighing, he turned on the shower and shed his dress blues. As if having an urgent videoconference with the President, the JCS and the IOA wasn't bad enough, he'd been forced to wear his dress blues again.

Damn, he really started to dislike the President! First his grave mistake with Sam, declaring her MIA and then KIA without any evidence, then demanding he'd get back to Washington knowing about Sam's condition only to call an emergency meeting a few hours later that day after he'd been told that Jack was finally going to take Sam home! Groaning, he stepped under the hot water and quickly rinsed himself.

Luckily, the meeting and the subsequent briefing had gone over faster than he'd imagined! The only problem was that he'd told Janet to take Sam with her, have some fun and they hadn't gotten back yet! Well, at least he could make sure to get everything ready here. Not that they would stay here long enough for that, thanks to the President.

As he lathered his body, Jack thought about dinner and whether he should cook… probably better if he didn't, there was no grill and he doubted Sam could stomach his special omelets at the moment, especially if she was still taking some of her medication… _Crap!_  He'd totally forgotten to talk to the Doc about her meds; they were supposed to have that little chat before he took Sam home, but with the extra meeting and the briefing – those damn snakes insisted on being kept in the loop about their and the Free Jaffa's information about Ba'al and the President had, of course, agreed with them – he hadn't had the time to talk to Fraiser!

Rinsing the last remains of soap, Jack turned off the shower and wrapped a towel around his narrow hips. A quick shave later, he fumbled around the closet and got out a pair of boxers, jeans and an off-white sweater. Having put on some clothes, he moved through the apartment, opening some windows despite the cold temperatures outside and turning on the coffee machine.

He made an inventory of the food – barely there – and contemplated whether to go to the supermarket and get them some or simply call for some Chinese food or pizza… Well, they had to eat something tomorrow before going to Washington. Plus, if he could do the groceries now he could buy whatever they needed in DC as well, which meant he wouldn't have to leave Sam alone tomorrow and she wasn't here at the moment so going to the store meant he didn't have to sit on his ass worrying about her.

Making up his mind, Jack grabbed his leather jacket and, checking his cell phone and pocketing it, he went downstairs and grabbed the car he'd borrowed from the base. It wouldn't be too long before he'd be back and hopefully, his wife would be here by then as well!

* * *

"It's delicious," Sam grinned at him as she took another bite from the slice of pizza.

Jack grinned back and took a sip of his wine. "Good, I'll bet it's even better than that commissary food, right?"

"Definitely," she chuckled. "I was really getting hungry after that long day."

"You and Janet have fun?" he asked, curious. When they'd gotten back they hadn't spoken much of what they'd done, Janet had simply taken him aside to give him some medical instructions.

Sam shrugged, her gaze on the red wine as she absentmindedly moved the glass in her hands. "It was… nice," she meant that; talking with Janet had been nice. It was the other things, the massages and mud baths when she'd felt slightly uncomfortable. She knew there was nothing wrong with her body, that she was in good condition – even if she was still rather skinny according to Janet – but she simply didn't feel very at ease around strangers while she was almost naked. She wasn't even going to think about the waxing!

"What did you do?"

"Oh, we went to the spa," she mumbled, before taking a sip of the red liquid.

Stunned, Jack simply stared at her, gaping. "What?"

"The spa."

He grinned as he took another slice of pizza and cocked his head to the side, looking at her lovely features. "I didn't think you'd ever go back to the spa after that time before the wedding."

"What?" She asked, alarmed all of a sudden.

Realizing his slip, Jack mentally slapped himself. "Well, you said you didn't like being around strangers butt naked, let alone them touching you with massages," he shrugged, thinking it wasn't that big of a deal to tell her.

"I knew it!"

"Knew what?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her.

Sam huffed, before swallowing the last of her wine. "I asked Janet if we did this often and she said we did and that I loved it!"

Jack chuckled at the indignant expression on her face, accompanied by rosy cheeks from the candles and wine. "Yeah, sounds like that little Napoleonic power monger lied to you."

Ignoring his gloating, Sam snatched the last slice of pizza out from under his nose. "Jack, did we spend a lot of time here?"

"What?" he asked, realizing she was changing the subject. "Do you mean here in Colorado Springs or-"

"The apartment," she replied softly, glancing around the small living room.

"No, not really," he shrugged. "Why?"

Sam grimaced slightly as she continued her survey. The modern furniture, the white walls adorned with only a few framed pictures, the lack of personal items… "I don't remember any of it," she admitted, ducking her head.

"It's okay, Sam," Jack leaned forward and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Give it time."

She nodded, not knowing how to put in words what she was feeling. She felt so… lost. Hating her body, her mind for betraying her – for keeping her life from her. Then there was Jack; kind, patient, comforting… loving? She didn't know, couldn't tell for sure but she hoped so. After all, they were married right? His brown eyes searched her face and she gave him a small smile. "I'm getting tired… must be all the excitement from today," she referred to the alien visit, being released from the infirmary, her trip to the spa and going to their apartment, "plus the massages… I felt so… languid after that."

"I know," he responded, getting up from his seat to clear the table. Better not get carried away, thinking about her like  _that_  while she was still so fragile. He couldn't help himself, though as images of her long, slender body went through his mind. Their long nights making love, simply holding each other or giving her a backrub.  _Oh yeah_ , he definitely knew what a good massage did to her! Ignoring the flames going through his body, Jack walked back to the kitchen to dump the pizza box and the empty bottle of wine. "Why don't you take a bath while I clean up?" He fought the images his own words conjured when he heard her reply an affirmative and went to clean the kitchen to get her off his mind… oh yeah, get her off – Crap!

* * *

Pulling on the fluffy robe, Sam combed her hair back as she looked in the mirror. She was looking better than a few days ago, she mused. The dark circles under her eyes were almost completely gone, which shouldn't come as a surprise to her considering she'd hardly done anything these last few days but sleep or rest. For a moment she wondered if Jack was waiting for her, his rummaging about in the small apartment having ceased as far as she could hear. Brushing her teeth and applying moisturizer to her face, she decided it was time to leave the still steaming bathroom.

She opened the door and looked both ways down the hallway, wondering if Jack was on her right – the living room – or if he would have gone to her left – the bedroom. Not wanting to make assumptions, she made her way to the living room to find him sitting on the couch, watching a game of hockey.

Jack looked over his shoulder when he heard the soft padding from her bare feet and found himself catching his breath as she stood there, giving him a small smile with her wet hair combed back, flushed cheeks and the fluffy robe. He still couldn't fathom how gorgeous she was, even after all these years and he certainly didn't understand how in hell he'd gotten so lucky to have her as his wife.

"Um, hi," Sam smiled shyly, biting her lip as she watched him watching her.

"Hi," he replied lamely, quickly turning back to the TV screen, taking a swig of his beer. "Had a good bath?"

"Yeah," she confirmed, walking around the other side of the couch to sit next to him. "Although I did feel I was shrinking, having spent an hour in a herbal bath already this afternoon."

"Hm," Jack nodded absently, trying to keep his overactive imagination from going a certain direction.

Feeling uncomfortable, Sam shifted a bit on the couch. "I'm getting rather tired…."

Jack glanced at the clock and realized he was getting tired too, even if it was only 2130 hours. "I already changed the sheets, but the window is still open in the bedroom."

"That's okay," she replied, "I like the cold, fresh air after being in the mountain for so long."

"I figured as much."

Sam stood hesitantly, wondering what was going to happen next since he was just sitting there. Would he insist on taking her to bed, sleeping with her – making love? Did she want him to? By the looks of it, he wasn't going anywhere and all of a sudden she felt insecure again. What if he didn't want to make love to her? She frowned to herself; why was that such an upsetting thought? Surely she couldn't just jump into bed with him, even if they were married. Granted, she felt safe around him but she hardly knew him… yet, she knew she didn't want him to reject her. At the same time, though, she wasn't ready for that. Not yet, at least. "Jack?"

"Yeah?" He asked, looking up at where she was standing next to the couch, trying to sound casual.

"I think I'll be heading to bed, then," she tried again, wondering why he wasn't saying or doing something – anything!

"Okay," he shrugged, hoping she wouldn't realize his voice just went up a notch.

"What about you? Aren't you tired yet?"

Swallowing hard, Jack gave her a quick onceover. At the moment, he could think of better things than spend his time  _sleeping_  in a bed. "Uh yeah," he suppressed a yawn and stood, stretching his lean frame before turning off the TV. "I made a bed in the guestroom," he gestured towards the door across from the bathroom. "If you need anything, that's where I'll be."

"Oh, okay," Sam tried to swallow the disappointment she felt, without acknowledging the fact that she'd been hoping he'd take her to bed – just to sleep. "Goodnight then."


	14. Settling In

Feeling something tickle his nose, Jack slowly opened his eyes and a smirk appeared on his face when he realized Sam's hair was the culprit. Instead of rolling away, he nuzzled the long golden locks, enjoying the whiff of shampoo and pure Samantha Carter combined. He took a deep breath, careful not to wake her as he glanced at the alarm clock. It was almost 0600 hours and normally he would've been up already, but he hadn't set the alarm last night. No, he'd gone to the guestroom in the small apartment making sure not to make his amnesiac wife uncomfortable by crawling in bed with her. Sure, he'd held her in the infirmary while she was asleep a few times now, but that was different; he'd simply lain atop of the sheets while she'd been underneath them. Not to mention it was usually after a nightmare or she'd asked him to stay with her. This time she hadn't and he didn't want to rush her into anything and had opted to offer to take the guestroom, knowing she probably wouldn't decline.

He'd woken up in the middle of the night though, when she'd been having one of her nightmares and was tossing, turning, sobbing, mumbling and even screaming at times in their bed. Without hesitation, he'd darted into the room to wake and comfort her, and he'd even gotten a washcloth from the bathroom to clean her tear-streaked face as well as helped her change into a clean shirt, seeing as her own top was drenched in sweat. Jack had even offered to change the sheets, but she'd shaken her head and asked him to stay with her, hold her. Hating the reason that made her ask – the nightmares – he loved the fact that she  _had_  asked him and immediately slipped under the covers with her, wrapping his arms around her to pull her against his body.

Now, however, he was beginning to regret that he hadn't taken the time to put on some sweat pants or something as her silky legs were intertwined with his, one of her feet caressing his hairy calf. She was still sound asleep with her back against his chest and Jack knew he was enjoying her body pressed against his far too much considering her memory loss. Gently pushing her hair aside with his nose, he kissed the crook of her neck before scooting backwards slightly with his lower body. Having Sam in his bed again, arms wrapped around her soft body, wasn't something he could walk away from either, he mused. He'd been so freaking worried about what happened to her when she'd gone missing that he still had trouble realizing she was back for good. Now all they needed was for her memories to return…

"Jack?" Sam asked sleepily as she stretched like a cat, careful not to hit him in the face.

"Good morning," he mumbled after clearing his throat and tightening his grip on her hips as he scooted back once more, unable to keep his body from reacting to her presence especially when she was pressing her lovely six against his arousal.

"You stayed," she stated more than asked, rolling on her back to look at him, smiling shyly.

Leaning his head on his hand with his elbow resting between their pillows, Jack half-shrugged. "You asked me to."

Sam nodded as she bit her lip. "I know, I just wasn't sure if you'd stay the entire night…."

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't know," she said softly, her eyes drawn to his tanned chest before glancing at the white sheet covering the mattress. "I wasn't sure you wanted… I- I was confused," she frowned at her inability to say what was on her mind, "after last night."

Jack gently lifted her chin to look at her face, into her eyes and he immediately saw awkwardness, confusion and her insecurities there. "I wanted the choice to be yours, that's why I took the guestroom," he explained, his eyes softening, "if that is what you meant."

"Oh," she nodded slowly, a slow smile creeping onto her face. "Well, we  _are_  married, right?"

"Yeah sure you betcha," he grinned and winked at her.

Giggling, Sam ducked her head, her cheeks already burning. Part of her was confused and slightly awkward, not to mention insecure over their intimacy as they shared the bed, with her wearing nothing but her panties and a shirt and him only in boxers. However, another part felt comfortable and enjoyed his presence. Although she felt tense as well. In a way, it was because of his presence, his naked skin, his manly scent and those dark eyes and she realized it was sexual tension, nothing more. That only confused her more; she didn't have her memories, but her body obviously recognized him and even betrayed her one could say. "I don't want you to feel rejected," she started hesitantly, holding his gaze, "so I guess you don't have to sleep in the guestroom."

"I don't want you to be uncomfortable," Jack said in a serious tone, meaning every word of it even if he felt elated on the inside by her words.

"Sleeping separately will do more harm than good," Sam mused aloud. "I mean, if we keep avoiding each other it could have a bad influence on my recovery."

"It could," he confirmed, nodding, but still not wanting to push her.

Not knowing what else to say to convince him that they should share the same bed, Sam decided to ask him the question that hadn't left her mind for days now that no one was around to interrupt them. "Jack?"

"Hm?"

"How long have we been married?"

"Ah," Jack grimaced, having expected her to ask him something like that while Doc Fraiser had told him he wasn't supposed to tell her.  _Ah, well, it's not like she's here_ , he mentally shrugged his shoulders. "Almost a year, now."

"Really?" Sam gasped, staring at him. That meant they'd spent more time apart than they had together!

"Yeah," he replied in a sad voice, "a week before Christmas."

"Oh."

Cocking his head to the side, he squinted at her. "You seem surprised."

"Well," she rolled to her side, imitating his pose. "It feels like I've known you much longer than that… I know," she held up her hand to stop him from interrupting her, "that doesn't really make any sense considering I don't remember anything, but somehow it just feels like that. The same way I feel like I can trust you and Daniel, Janet, Teal'c and Uncle George."

Taking a deep breath, Jack decided he might as well tell her what she apparently needed to hear. "We do. Know each other longer than that," he added seeing her frown.

"Oh, so we dated for a long time?"

He couldn't help but chuckle at her innocent question, recalling how he'd practically asked her to marry him the minute they were both awaiting reassignment making the regs non-existing. "Not exactly."

"A long engagement?"

Shaking his head, Jack sighed. "No, nothing like that Sam. You see, I was your CO for eight  _long_  years…."

"Oh," her eyes widened in shock. "Did we have an affair?" Somehow the idea of having an affair with her CO somewhere during those eight years scared her; it didn't sound like her, even if she wasn't completely sure of who she was.

"No!" He hastened to reassure her. "You're not like that and-"

"Neither are you?" Sam finished for him, giving him a small smile.

"Oh, I don't know," Jack scrubbed his face with his hand, thinking about it. "No, I've definitely been tempted and I'm not such a by-the-book officer like you, but I would  _never_  do anything to harm you or your career," he admitted honestly.

Sam nodded slowly, processing all this new information about him – and, more importantly, about her. "Then how did we…?" She asked, gesturing between the two of them.

"Some things happened," he grimaced at the memory of those damned bracelets and the Zatarc testing, "after which we learned from each other that we both had… inappropriate feelings for the other."

Rolling back to lie on her back, Sam stared at the ceiling, thinking about this. "I see… so, what? I transferred? I mean, I was the junior officer and-"

"No, nothing like that. We simply waited until the time was right."

"How long did that take us?" She asked, turning her head to look into those hypnotizing brown eyes.

"After we, er… both knew?" Jack retorted, raising his brows. "About four years."

"Wow, that's a long time."

He shrugged, not wanting to think about all the time they had wasted… well, not really wasted considering they rid the galaxy of the Goa'uld and he got to spend almost every day with her, working side by side. Then again, they had hurt each other a lot over the years as well, he pondered as images of Kerry and Shanahan crossed his mind.  _Better not tell her about that until she's ready or remembers on her own…_  "It was worth it," he mumbled, giving her a crooked smile.

"I guess I'll have to take your word for it," she whispered, once again cursing the circumstances they found themselves in. Why couldn't she simply remember?

"No need for that," Jack made a dismissive hand gesture when he saw her expression turn sad and could practically hear the wheels turning in her head. "We'll work this out, we always do. I'm sure we've faced worse things than this," he tried, sitting up to get out of bed. "Now we should get ready, because I still have to make a phone call to the President to talk about our little trip back to Washington."

Sam wanted to ask him what kind of things they had faced that would be worse than this, but she was scared she might not like the answer. It certainly looked like Jack didn't want to talk about it anymore, which didn't really surprise her. If she were honest, she'd been surprised he'd been willing to talk this much already! She'd overheard Janet, Daniel and Jack a few times and knew that Janet didn't want them to tell her too much about her missing memories… something to do with her medical point of view and that specialist that had examined her and in a way, Sam could understand that. It made some kind of sense, but she was glad Jack had told her a few things.

* * *

"Amazing," Sam mumbled as they reintegrated in what looked like a house – which was probably  _their_  house in Washington DC, considering that was where they were supposed to go. She blinked her eyes a few times to readjust her eyesight.

"Don't worry about it," Jack reassured her, "those black spots will disappear in a few seconds."

She nodded as she watched him go to the kitchen and quietly followed him, not sure of what she should be doing or where she should go.

"Coffee?"

"Sure."

He looked at her from over his shoulder and realized she didn't know what to do. He'd hoped that this house would make her feel comfortable, even though he knew she hadn't nearly spent as much time here as they'd both wished. Still, she'd probably been here more often than at her Dad's old apartment, not to mention that this place held way more memories for the two of them. "Why don't you take a look around, reacquaint yourself with the place," he prompted her as he turned on the coffee machine and checked the fridge for food. There wasn't much and the things that were there had mostly passed their due date and he automatically started cleaning out the appliance. It had become a sort of habit for him – and her as well – with their lives at the SGC, on the front lines without knowing exactly how long they'd be gone and getting promoted to take over HWS hadn't changed that for him; he still made long hours and spent most of his time at the Pentagon or the White House for meetings and Sam had been no different. With her gone, he'd only thrown himself into work more, trying to keep his mind off her while at the same time making sure they were still searching for her – even if it was indirectly by focusing on the pursuit of Ba'al and his clones.

No wonder there was hardly anything edible in the fridge, he realized. He'd hardly been home during the months Sam had been missing and he hadn't been cooking wonderful meals for himself. Then Daniel called him with the news and he certainly hadn't stopped to clean out the fridge before getting to Colorado Springs! They'd have to get more groceries than the ones he'd brought with him, he mused. He could hear Sam walking around the living room, almost as if inspecting it he assumed and wasn't sure if she was up to going to the supermarket yet. Maybe it would be better if he'd go alone, to give her some time to readjust.

"Sam?"

She startled as he walked into the living room holding two cups of coffee and blushed. "Sorry, didn't hear you come in."

"Don't worry about it," he waved her excuse away and jerked his head towards the couch, waiting for her to take a seat. "I have to do some groceries and thought maybe you'd like to stay here to take a look around?"

"Er… okay," Sam shrugged and plopped on the couch, taking the cup from him. She had to admit she was curious and without him here she'd feel less like being caught with her hand in the cookie jar as she had just now every time he'd walk in. However, she didn't really like the idea of him leaving her behind, even if it was just for grocery shopping.  _God, since when am I this clingy?_  She frowned, wondering if she used to be a clingy person. She didn't think so, but how well did she know herself, really?

"I should probably head into the office as well," Jack grimaced as he stretched his legs out in front of him from his seat. "I can combine those two without having to go back to the Pentagon later today," he elaborated.

"Right," she nodded, "because of the President and the JCS."

"Indeed," he confirmed, taking a sip of his coffee. Of course, the President had wanted him to come back to DC immediately, not even leaving time for him or Sam to go back to the SGC as  _Prometheus_ had been ready to beam them over. It shouldn't take him that long, he was planning on working at home today as well as the rest of the week if he had a say in it. Although they had to attend that party the day after tomorrow, the President had insisted he and Sam would be there as he wanted to 'show off' Sam, to let everyone know she was alright considering he had to cancel her memorial service that had been planned for the same day.  _Oh crap_ , that reminded him of Mark. He was supposed to call his brother-in-law with an update about Sam… and to introduce himself as well.  _Great, just great!_

"Jack?"

"What?"

"Never mind," Sam shook her head, giving him a small smile knowing he'd been lost in thought. "You should go do groceries and go to work and I'll just hang around here and I'll take a bath or something."

"Okay," he swallowed the last of his coffee before placing it in the dishwasher, all the while suppressing the images of Sam taking a bath. Of the two of them taking a bath together whenever she'd been here in DC. "I'll try to be back as quick as possible, but with the traffic and those damn politicians I probably won't be back for another two hours." He wrote his cell phone number on a piece of paper next to the phone in case she needed anything before going off.

* * *

"Sam?" Jack called out as he walked through the door and closed it behind him, taking off his coat and shoes as he preferred walking barefooted or with socks on his feet on the wooden floor, despite the colder temperatures outside. Glancing into the living room he saw no sign of Sam and quickly started a fire in the hearth, before walking around the house. He finally found her in the bathroom, or at least, he suspected she was in there considering the light coming from underneath the door. He just wasn't sure if he should open the door, knowing what he would probably find…. "Sam?"

"In here," he heard her response coming through the door.

 _As if I didn't know that yet_ , he thought to himself, rolling his eyes. Taking a deep breath to fortify himself, Jack opened the door and peeked his head into the bathroom. "Sam?"

"Hi," she greeted him with a lazy smile from her position in the warm, bubble-filled tub her body completely submerged and only her neck and head sticking out above the water. "Did everything go okay?"

"Fine," he nodded, unable to keep his eyes from roaming over the bubbles, trying to catch a glimpse of her very naked and very wet body. "Didn't think it would take this long though."

"That's okay," she shrugged as she lifted her arm to grab the glass of wine standing on the ledge and took a quick sip. "I didn't mind."

"Did you, ah…," he cleared his throat and forced himself to look at her beautiful face, "enjoy yourself?"

Smiling, Sam bobbed her head. "Yeah, I walked around the house a bit, trying to remember…" she frowned over her disappointment not being able to, "read the paper, went through my closet and finally ended up in the tub."

"Yes, I can see that," Jack mumbled, uncomfortable and at the same time aroused, knowing what her body looked like underneath all those bubbles even if she hadn't gotten back to her old weight yet. "I'll just, ah… start dinner," he pointed over his shoulder.

Placing both her arms on the side of the tub, Sam looked at him. "Do you need help?"

Jack held up his hands and shook his head. "No, no," he hastened himself to say, trying to stop her from getting up out of the tub because he wasn't sure he could handle that at the moment. "Just take your time, I'll call when dinner is ready." With that, he darted off, taking the stairs several steps at once as he raced down to the kitchen. Once there, he stopped to get his breathing under control and groaned. "Crap," he muttered aloud, knowing he was in so much trouble with Sam so close and yet so unattainable at the moment.

Turning on the radio, Jack prepared dinner and set the table all the while ignoring the sounds he heard coming from upstairs until he was finished and heard Sam's soft footsteps padding down the stairs. "Dinner is done," he yelled over his shoulder.

"Hmm, smells delicious," Sam complimented him as she walked up behind him and peered over his shoulder.

"Just spaghetti," he mumbled, ignoring her warm breath on the back of his neck and the thrill it sent through his body. "I already set the table, do you want me to serve here or take the food to the table?"

Quickly walking over to the table Sam shrugged. "Either way is fine with me," the table wasn't very large but there was more than enough room. She rummaged around the kitchen to find the bottle of wine she'd opened earlier – Jack must have put it away while she was upstairs – as her husband took the food out to the table.

"Wine?" Jack asked, his eyebrow raising automatically. He wasn't sure if he really needed wine tonight…  _It would probably be better if I simply get rid of all the alcohol in the house._

"Yes," she beamed at him as she plopped down on the chair. "Oh, I forgot glasses. Could you get us some?"

Getting up, he mumbled a "Sure," unable to resist her anything, especially when she was smiling like  _that_. Not seeing the glass she'd used in the bathroom – it still surprised him that she was such a neat freak with a tendency to OCD and yet he  _always_  found glasses in the bathroom or bedroom when she'd been around – he got out two clean ones from the cabinet, not feeling like walking back upstairs to get hers. When he got back he almost gasped. "Candles?"

"Hope you don't mind," Sam mumbled shyly, ducking her head, "but I found them this afternoon and thought it was a waste not to use them."

"No, it's okay," he swallowed hard as he quickly sat down, trying to ignore the romantic setting. As if this day couldn't be more trying with waking up with her in his arms, finding her in the tub and to have her walking around here in those low rider hip hugging jeans and that blue sweater that made her eyes look even bluer and bigger… no, he could handle candles too. Right? "Really, it's very… nice, a good idea. Makes you look, um," he stammered for a bit, he could hardly tell her she looked even hotter than usual with the soft glow of the flames dancing on her face. "Makes the room look… nicer," he finished lamely.

Sam looked at him from under her lashes, glad that he was okay with this even if he seemed a bit… what? Uncomfortable? No, it couldn't be. Must be a bit unexpected, she thought. "Food?"

Jack nodded as he held out his plate for her to dump some of the spaghetti on it. He'd been starving when he'd gotten home – for food, he kept telling himself – but he wasn't sure he could eat right now. It was all too much, such an attack on his senses and Sam being… well, Sam wasn't helping matters along either! "Thanks," he mumbled, setting the plate back and waiting for her to get herself some food before digging in, pretending he was hungry and stuffing the pasta down his throat.

 _He sure is hungry_ , Sam mused looking at him,  _must have been starved_. She was feeling a bit nervous though, not sure why but the little butterflies in her stomach weren't helping her in any way. So she mostly moved the food around and took a bite every now and then, remembering what Janet had told her about eating enough. She'd already taken the dozen vitamin pills Janet had given her, saying her body needed them because apparently she hadn't been getting enough of those during her absence or maybe the sarcophagus – Sam still wasn't sure what that was, no one wanted to tell her about it when she asked – had depleted them from her body. Either way, she had enough vitamin pills to bring someone back from the dead and was required to take a bunch each day as well as eating enough fruits and vegetables.

She herself had been a bit wary, afraid she might 'overdose' considering too much of – for example – vitamin A and D could lead to certain side effects and she was so over the being nauseous and vomiting all the time. Janet, however, had assured her that she hardly had any stored vitamin A and considering she hadn't seen much sunlight lately she wasn't in any risk of overdosing on vitamin D either, not to mention that she knew what she was prescribing. Sam had thought the doctor sounded a bit offended when she'd added that last part.

"Tastes good," she told Jack.

"Not much to screw up when making spaghetti," he smirked at her. "You're not hungry?"

"Not really," she admitted, knowing she could hardly deny it with half her plate still full. "I'm trying though."

"Good, just don't eat too much, don't want you to get sick."

Shuddering at the thought, Sam grimaced at him. "Me neither."

"So… while you were hanging out here, I tried to convince the President that we really didn't need to go to his party, but the man insisted and even threatened to make it an order; for both of us," Jack rolled his eyes at the memory. "That means we have to be there the day after tomorrow. I'm sure he'll understand we can't stay very long."

"Why not?" Sam asked, surprised.

Jack frowned at her as he pushed his empty plate aside. "Well, Doc Fraiser insisted you wouldn't overdo it and she sure as hell is going to have my ass if I let you stay there all night, being talked to death by boring politicians that don't even know you."

"Oh, okay," she nodded.

Surprised that she gave in this easily, Jack stared at her for a few moments. Deciding he'd better not question her, he grabbed his glass of wine and took a small sip. He was still drinking his first glass, not that he didn't like wine at certain moments but he needed to stay sober, while Sam was already drinking her second – since they started dinner. He assumed she'd only had one glass while taking her bath, but he couldn't be sure. She usually only had one glass and he doubted she'd gone back downstairs to refill her glass but he wasn't stupid enough to ask her.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"I was looking around the house this afternoon," Sam started fidgeting with the napkin next to her plate and focusing her attention on the spat of red sauce she'd spilled on the table. "I couldn't help but notice that picture," she said slowly, risking a glance at his face, "of the boy."

"Oh," Jack closed his eyes, having totally forgotten about Charlie's picture on the mantle.

"I'm sorry," she hastened herself to say as she saw his expression. "It's just that you said we didn't have children and he looks so much like you and… well, we haven't been married for even a year," she almost whispered.


	15. Surprises

Sam just stared at him, as he was sitting there next to her on the couch, facing her. She didn't know what to say and her heart hurt for his loss. His eyes were dark with emotions and she could swear there were tears glistening in them, all because she couldn't remember anything and he had to relive the most horrible experience in his life by telling her what had happened to his son. She didn't know what she'd been thinking when she brought up the picture of the boy, considering Jack had already told her they didn't have any children and yet she just  _had_  to ask him. The moment the words had left her mouth and she saw his pained expression she was silently berating herself for her insensitivity and curiosity. However, she'd already brought up the subject and wanted to explain why to him, which was when he'd taken her hand and pulled her next to him on the couch in the living room before telling her the most heartbreaking story she'd heard.

"Sam?" Jack was getting worried when she didn't utter a word after telling her about Charlie, instead the uncomfortable and emotional silence dragged on and she'd turned as pale as a ghost. No matter how hard it had been for him to relive the memory of Charlie's death, having to tell her about his carelessness regarding his little boy and how he'd ended up depressed because of losing him, right now all his concern was for her. For her, his wife, he'd recall one of the worst moments of his life because she needed him to, simply because her memories were lost – or taken from her, perhaps. "Sam, are you okay?"

"Am I," she swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. "Am I okay?" She repeated, still staring at him. "Am  _I_  okay? God Jack, how could you ask me that?" Before she could think about it, Sam threw herself at him, her arms going around his neck pulling him against her. "Are  _you_ okay? I can't imagine what you've gone through and now you had to relive it all because of me."

Regaining his balance, Jack leaned back against the couch and tightened his grip around Sam – who was practically straddling his lap at this point – as he heard her almost-sobbing reply mumbled against his neck. She was upset because… he was? Because he had to go through the memory of Charlie's death again? "Sam, it's okay, I'm fine," he retorted, frowning when he heard his own hoarse tone. Memories or not, this woman in his arms was definitely still the same caring Samantha Carter, even if she didn't know it herself. God, how he loved her. "I love you, Sam and I'll relive whatever you need me to if it'll help you," he blurted out. Clearing his throat, Jack frowned at his sappy words and emotional tone of voice. "I mean-"

"I don't know," Sam interrupted him as she pulled back and looked at his handsome face, "what I've done to deserve you."

He took a deep breath and closed his eyes when one of her hands came up to the side of his face to cradle his cheek. Her long, slender fingers gently caressed his face and, once again, he found himself wondering how she could keep her hands so soft in their line of work. "Sam," he breathed as he opened his eyes and took in her face. Her eyes were brimming with tears and he wondered why. If her words were anything to go by it was because of…  _my loss?_  Jack asked himself, amazed once again by her empathy. He couldn't remember ever sharing such an emotional –  _intimate?_  – moment with anyone else, not even Sara when they had been married. He wasn't the touchy-feely type and Sara had always known that; he'd only been slightly emotional – on the outside – when Charlie was born and when he was taken from them, the rest of the time he'd kept his feelings to himself.

He and Sam had gotten married as soon as it was possible and they had still been adjusting to their new roles when she'd been abducted, trying to get out of their CO/2IC-relationship, treat each other as equals in every aspect of their lives and for once letting their masks fall down when they were together. Now, with Sam not remembering their long working relationship there was no mask in sight; all her walls were down and everything was clearly written on her face, her eyes completely open to him. It scared him.

"Sam," Jack tried again and grabbed her wrist, stilling her hand on his face while the other was still around his neck. Only when she let her hand drop did he notice her wet fingertips and realized he'd been crying. Mentally shaking himself, he reached up as well to brush  _her_  tears away with his calloused thumb. "You deserve so much more than what I can give you," he murmured, taking in her lovely features; her tears making those big blue orbs shine like the event horizon of a wormhole, her cute nose, her beautiful mouth while she was biting her trembling lower lip. "And I sure as hell don't deserve you, Samantha. The baggage I carry, the things I've do-"

"Hush," she broke him off, placing two fingers on his mouth to stop him from talking. "I don't care about that," Sam shook her head before leaning back on his thighs. Slanting her head slightly, she squinted at him. "Holy Hannah, I don't remember what I did a month ago, I sure as hell don't care about things you've done in your past. If I had," she glared at him when he tried to speak up again, "I don't think I'd have married you. Jack, I don't know why you think that matters, why you think you don't deserve me… hell, I don't know why I apparently never convinced you otherwise, but everything I do know since waking up in the infirmary is that you are an amazing man, Jack O'Neill."

Feeling uncomfortable, Jack groaned and tried to pull back only to press harder into the couch. "You're just saying that because you don't remember how special you are," he gave a mirthless chuckle, "I don't think you  _ever_  realized that." he scrubbed his face with his hand in frustration and stealthily tried to wipe away the remains of his tears. "Sam," he sighed, leaning his head back and rolling his eyes.

"No, Jack. You've been there for me practically since the start," she didn't want to think about those first few days when he didn't came to see her, even if – in retrospect – she thought she knew why. "You're so goddamned patient with me, you don't avoid my questions like the rest and you're… simply there for me," Sam shrugged, holding up her hands in surrender, unable to think of a better way to describe it. "I don't know why you put up with me, I know how frustrating this can be…  _I_  find it hard to put up with myself and am constantly frustrated for not remembering, for letting you and the others down," she frowned and looked down at her hands, embarrassed at her admission. "Instead, you're here for me. Not afraid to wake me when I'm having those nightmares even when I yell at you or hit you, to hold and comfort me and treat me – I think – like you did eight or nine months ago. You don't act as if something is wrong with me, you just accept me in your life and you're so fucking patient with me that I sometimes get even more frustrated!"

His head snapped up when she started her explanation and now he was simply staring at her, stunned. He was still embarrassed about his behavior when she'd just gotten back from that gateless planet where Reynolds and his motley crew had found her, when he'd been avoiding her because she didn't remember him, their marriage or their love for each other. The rest however, was plain sailing, right? He couldn't  _not_  care for her, be there when she needed him. He loved her more than anything and wasn't that what marriage was all about, like Doc Fraiser had so kindly reminded him before he'd pulled his head out of his ass to see that Sam needed him; for better or worse? "Of course I treat you the same as I always did," he frowned, why should he treat her any different? "You're still the same person… you just don't remember, but I still see all those things that make you Samantha Carter."

She smiled shyly and grabbed one of his hands in between hers. "I thought so, but Daniel doesn't. Janet and Teal'c perhaps, but Daniel he-"

"He's just worried about you," Jack tried to reassure her. "He's not military you know and he's probably used to seeing you as the kickass woman you are. Whenever something bad happened to SG-1 you were almost always okay and well… let's just say Daniel wasn't so lucky, but you were always there for him. Now the roles are reversed and you know," he wasn't sure how to explain it and grimaced, "he  _is_  that sensitive geek he looks like and I'm sure Daniel's just trying to help you for once."

"I guess," Sam mumbled, glancing at their hands; tanned trapped between two pale ones. He had strong hands, long fingers, short yet clean nails and rough calluses on his palms. Such a contrast to her smaller pale ones with their slender fingers, slightly longer nails and sensitive skin. It was strange really, considering they'd apparently worked side by side for years, doing the same job and yet her hands were… so feminine and his so manly. "It just unnerves me, that's all. I know I'd have probably gone stir crazy if Daniel hadn't been visiting me all the time but his mothering was sometimes so… I don't know," she shrugged, glancing up at Jack's face.

"Suffocating, crowding, annoying…?" He offered, smirking slightly as he recalled how he'd been close to ripping Daniel's head off on occasion, while Sam had always been the one defending him.

"Yeah, that's a pretty accurate description," Sam grinned at him, shaking her head slightly knowing that she should be more grateful to Daniel. "Still, I thank my lucky stars that you were crazy enough to marry me all those months ago," she admitted, blushing furiously as she once again cast her eyes downward, not daring to face him now. "You're here for me, treat me like an equal and not some amnesiac…" she took a deep breath before slowly exhaling, loudly. "And you don't hold back."

Jack was still slightly tongue-tied with everything she was saying and he wasn't sure how to react. "I told you, Sam, I'm here for you, whatever you need," he mumbled after a minute of silence and leaned forward to press a soft kiss on her forehead.

Pushing down her emotions – was she always this emotional or were it hormones? – Sam looked into his brown eyes. "I know that a husband is supposed to say that but I doubt there are many who would actually do what you do, Jack. I mean, being patient and spending time with me is one thing, but you… you don't hold back, you tell me what I want to know even if it's something difficult, something that hurts  _you_  to even  _think_  about it."

"For crying out loud," he mumbled, lifting her from his lap. "Don't make me into some kind of saint, Sam, because I'm not," Jack almost growled as he got up. A glance at the clock told him they'd been here, talking on the couch for more than two hours! No wonder it was getting dark already, considering they were late with dinner. He felt exhausted suddenly and immediately knew why he hated  _talking_  again; it took too much energy especially when it was about feelings or something emotional. The last few days had been a rollercoaster ride and his  _feelings_  and  _emotions_  were all over the place and he wasn't used to that. Hanging around Sam and yet keeping his distance, the uncertainty of her memory loss, the President and the JCS nagging and whining, all the events of today and especially telling her all about Charlie, it was taking its toll. "It's getting late," he muttered, dragging a hand through his hair before walking towards the bathroom.

He wasn't sure what to do with Sam now, how to talk to her or about what. She'd just been praising him like he was some kind of saint and if there was anything he wasn't it was holy or righteous. He couldn't have her thinking that, raising the bar like that for him because then he certainly would never live up to her expectations and despite what she'd been saying earlier, she deserved better than someone like him. Jack had always known that and for a while he'd lived by that and let her go off and get all cozy with those aliens and even that damned  _cop_ , but then he'd gotten selfish and took his chance when he realized she still  _cared_. For some bizarre reason she'd accepted his proposal and had fully committed herself to him, loved him even and he'd finally gotten that what he'd always thought was unattainable. She'd spoiled him, had for years actually because no woman got close to Samantha Carter and now that he had her, he wasn't sure he could let her go. Ever.

Jack snorted to his reflection in the mirror as he started brushing his teeth. If Sam was unhappy he might be selfless enough to let her go, to find happiness with someone else no matter how much the thought killed him. The way she'd been talking, though, was having the opposite effect on him. He'd never been the type to share, he could be considered a typical alpha male and if Sam kept talking like that, kept stroking his ego he might not be able to let her go in the long run. He loved her so much and had for so long that he could barely recall a time when he  _hadn't_  loved her and yet here he was, pushing away the love of his life. God, he was messed up. Finishing up his nighttime rituals, he threw his clothes in the hamper and slipped under the covers in his boxers as he heard Sam softly padding to the bathroom.

The lights in the room weren't on, he hadn't bothered knowing his way around the bedroom in the dark but the light from the bathroom was casting a soft light into the room and he rolled onto his back. Staring at the ceiling, he wondered if he had upset Sam by getting up so abruptly and whether she'd join him or go to the guestroom. There was one guestroom which Cassie sometimes used when she was staying over or one of the guys or Janet and while it had a bed and two spare mattresses, it wasn't ready for use at the moment. The mattresses were bare and the sheets were… somewhere in the closet he was sure and the room hadn't been aired in a while. Jack looked up from his musings when he heard the bathroom door open and close and heard Sam's swift footsteps before the cover was pulled up and their mattress shifted under her added weight.

"Jack?" Sam scooted under the covers and rolled on her side to look at him, supporting her head on her elbow. She wasn't sure what had happened in the living room but she assumed it was just Jack being… Jack. It had probably gotten too much for him, talking about his late son and then she'd dumped her emotional crap on him. "Look at me," she requested, able to discern his shape in the moonlight and even his facial features when he looked up at her.

"What is it?"

"I don't know what happened out there," she made a vague hand gesture towards the living room, not realizing he probably couldn't make it out in the darkness. "But I meant what I said and-"

Groaning, Jack rolled his eyes at her as he imitated her posture, facing her. "So did I, Sam. I'm no saint-"

Before he was able to finish what he was about to say, Sam leaned forward and grabbed his neck. "I know," she said with a wicked grin before pulling his head closer and capturing his lips with her own.

He gasped in shock and his wife took that as an opportunity. It took Jack what seemed like ages but was probably mere seconds to realize what happened and react to her invading tongue. He loved the taste of her, she was so unique and sweet and for some reason that was totally hot combined with the menthol from brushing her teeth. The sensations that shot through his body as their tongues touched and they explored each other's mouth made him moan and he pulled back to lick her lips, pull her lower one between his teeth like she always did.

Sam was breathing heavily when they broke the kiss and she pulled back, feeling like she was panting and needed to catch her breath. Licking her lips, tasting him on them she gnawed her lip trying to understand why she just did that. She'd been trying to prove a point and all of a sudden she wanted to kiss him and,  _God_ , had it been amazing! "I don't want a saint," she finally continued, recalling what she'd been talking about before  _that_  kiss and gave him a quick peck on the mouth, "I just want you to be you."

"Oh," Jack replied in a hoarse tone before clearing his throat. "I can do that."

"Okay," she smiled and scooted lower on the mattress, letting her head rest on the pillow. "Goodnight Jack."

Her megawatt smile blinded him for a moment and he blinked his eyes a few times, noticing she had turned her back to him. "G'night Sam," he mumbled, spooning behind her without making contact with certain parts of his anatomy.

* * *

Once again Jack cursed the President as he flipped through another folder. Of course he should work at home, his wife needed him and it wasn't like there was a pressing matter at the moment at HWS. Well, nothing but some classified paperwork that he wasn't allowed to take home with him of course! He groaned and sighed at the same time when he realized he'd been here for over two hours and he wanted to go home. "Screw it," he told his otherwise empty office as he packed up the various folders and walked out to his assistant. "Here," he told the airman and dumped the pile on his desk. "Send that back to the President, okay?"

"Yes Sir," he replied, immediately re-stacking the folders. "Um, Sir?"

"What?" Jack barked from the other side of the room, ready to go home.

"Some of these folders are still sealed."

"I know," he drawled. "You think Hayes will get the message?"

"But Sir!"

"Ack!" he waved a hand around, not wanting to hear any objections. He was head of Home _world_  Security after all, Hayes was  _only_  the President of the United States of America. Ha! Okay, he was his Commander-in-Chief but right now Jack had more important things to take care of, like his amnesiac wife. He'd hardly ever taken personal leave – he'd either been working or simply retired – and he'd just been working his ass off for the past eight months! That was a lot of overtime! Sam needed him more than the President needed him to read those files. Besides, Hayes had already made it perfectly clear that he and Sam were supposed to go to that presidential event tomorrow evening and the guy always found some way to talk to him about work. He'd probably call him back to his office to discuss those files anyway, whether he'd read them or not! "Just send them back."

"Yes Sir."

Remembering something else, Jack rolled his eyes. "Oh and do you have the number of Mark Carter?"

"Carter as in…?"

He glared at the airman and tapped his shoe. "Does it really matter? Are names not ordered alphabetically anymore…?"

"No, Sir! I mean, yes Sir," he stammered. "Let me take a look… no, nothing here about a Mark Carter, there is something about a Ja-"

"Mark!" Jack wagged his finger. "When I ask you about a Mark Carter I don't want to know what other Carters are in there, understood?"

"Yes Sir!"

"Good," he grumbled, stalking back into his office. He really needed a new assistant, this one sucked. Maybe he could get Walter reassigned? He may be the same rank as Landry – for now – but HWS was more important than the SGC when it came to bureaucratic crap, especially regarding assistants. Maybe offer the little man a promotion or raise in salary? Hank Landry didn't really need help organizing the paperwork regarding toilet paper, mess supplies, ammunition etcetera! The off world relations already fell under HWS these days and that was most important. Yeah, he could probably snatch Walter away from the SGC. Was the man married? Probably not considering he spent most of his time at the SGC…. Jack shrugged to himself and made a mental note about looking into reassignment for one Chief Master Sergeant Norman Walter Davis Harriman. "Ah, there it is," he said to no one in particular as he did a search in his email account. Hammond had emailed him the phone number, that's right. Realizing this phone call was long overdue, Jack sighed and called.

" _Hello?"_

"General Hammond gave me this number, this is Jack O-"

" _Ah, the infamous Jack!"_

Recognizing sarcasm right away, Jack rolled his eyes as a fleeting thought of the late Jacob Carter ran through his mind. "Mark Carter I presume?"

" _Yep,"_  was the short confirmation.  _"It's so nice to finally talk to my_  brother-in-law _."_

"Yeah, about that," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

" _Don't worry about it_ ," Mark said dismissively.  _"There was no time like the present? No time to spare? No time introduce yourself after getting hitched to my sister?"_

Definitely a Carter, Jack thought exasperated. Sometimes they just didn't know when to stop. "Yeah sure you betcha," he replied in the same sarcastic tone. "We were busy, you weren't available at the time even though Sam tried calling you several times and, well… there was your argument and then she went missing."

" _Right_ ," he huffed.  _"Wait, there isn't something wrong with Sam is there?"_

"No, she's doing as well as expected," Jack reassured him, trying to overcome his childish reaction. "Physically she's good, just needs to add a few more pounds and she's starting to remember little things…."

" _Like what?"_

"She recognized George Hammond," he sighed, "from when he was younger that is. That your parents were deceased and some minor things."

" _Oh, I see…."_

Jack was pretty sure Mark was about to ask "What about me?" before stopping himself. He could relate, it hurt to know that Sam didn't recognize him even if things seemed to be taking a turn for the better at the moment. "Yeah, not much improvement yet but she's trying and it is  _something_. She was released from the infirmary and we're hoping that being at home will help her remember."

" _She's home?"_

"Ah, yes."

" _Wait, where does she live nowadays? In Nevada or is she still at Dad's old apartment?"_

"Ah no," Jack hesitated for a bit. "No, she went back home with me to Washington."

" _You're in Washington? Washington DC?"_

Hearing the incredulous in the man's voice, Jack merely nodded. "Yep."

" _I thought she was stationed in Nevada?"_

"At the time, yes."

" _Not anymore?"_

"Like I said," he sighed, leaning back in his chair as he saw the minutes tick by on the clock. "She's in our house in DC."

" _I didn't even know she had a house in DC…."_

Understanding the confusion and maybe even resentment at not knowing, Jack felt for the guy. "We bought it when we were reassigned."

" _But Sammie was in Nevada, that's what she said in the voicemail!"_

"Yeah," he grimaced, "she was there while I was in DC. We flew back and forth." Hearing something that sounded suspiciously like a huff or maybe even a snort, Jack decided to ignore the man's reaction, even if he didn't like it. Mark was still Sam's brother.

" _I want to see her."_

"I don't know if that is such a good idea, Mark. Besides, you don't want to come all this way from San Diego. Sam told me how busy you are at work and how you hardly have time off."

" _She did?"_  Surprise sounded through the phone.  _"Anyway, that doesn't matter; I'm leaving in an hour for DC for a work conference tomorrow and I'm sure I can reschedule my return flight."_

"Look Mark, I understand you want to see for yourself that Sam is alright but she doesn't remember much and-"

" _She's my sister,"_  Mark countered, sounding slightly aggressive.  _"After Dad died she's the only family I have left and I thought she was dead for eight months!"_

"I know, we all did, but I don't want to confuse Sam right now and the doctors don't want us to force things, memories or events or even relationships on her."

" _Well, if they could tell her you were her husband I don't see how they can't tell her I'm her brother! Unlike you, I've known her for years, practically her entire life!"_

"Mark," Jack almost growled now that the man started working on his nerves. "Sam is fragile right now and she tires easily-"

" _I just want to see how she's doing. Maybe she'll recognize me like she did with Uncle George, that would be good, right?"_

Hearing the hopefulness in his voice, Jack had to admit there was a possibility of her remembering Mark. She'd recognized Hammond from twenty years ago and the only other person that has known her at least that long, that was still alive and they knew of their existence was her own brother. "You said you wanted to come by tomorrow?"

" _Well, yeah, I'll get there late tonight and the conference is tomorrow."_

"I don't know," he dragged a hand through his hair as he once again looked at the clock. Damn, he wanted to go home! "We have an event we have to attend in the evening and the doctor insists on Sam getting enough rest."

" _Holy Hannah, I think family is a bit more important than some event. Just don't go to the event if you're so worried about her or go alone."_

"It was an order from the President," Jack replied testily. "Look, call me on my cell or house phone tomorrow when you think you have time. But I'm not making any promises!" he impatiently gave his phone numbers.

" _Guess I'll be seeing who my sister thought was a better catch than my buddy Pete tomorrow, huh?"_

"Have a safe trip, Mark," Jack barked before hanging up. He'd forgotten about Mark's argument with Sam over Shanahan and how she'd been unwilling to explain her actions, telling him it was none of his business. Oh yes, it was going to be fun!

Locking up his office, Jack made his way to his car nodding to his assistant and other personnel he ran into. His driver opened the car door for him – Jack wondered if the man spent all his time here while he was in his office, just to wait until he had to go somewhere – and they got stuck in traffic within fifteen minutes. He decided to call Sam to let her know he was on his way home and ask her if she needed anything from the store. He'd done the groceries yesterday and there were enough ingredients to at least last two more days when it came to dinner, but who knew? She might want something else or maybe there was something he'd forgotten to buy. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was annoyed with his work, with his brother-in-law and simply wanted to hear her voice.

"Sam?"

" _Hi Jack!"_

"Everything okay?"

" _I'm fine_ ," he heard her giggle and his blood pressure just shot up!  _"You've been gone for a little over three hours."_

"I know," he sighed, feeling slightly pathetic and sappy that he was already checking in. "I'm on my way home, stuck in traffic and was wondering if you needed anything?"

" _No, I'm good."_

"Okay, I bought some stuff yesterday for dinner but if you prefer takeout?" They usually had takeout when they were together. Sam couldn't cook, he could if he really wanted to but it saved them time. Time they could spend together on the few days if not hours they had together before one of them had to go back to their state.

" _Oh no! I'm already making dinner-"_

"What?"

" _I wanted to surprise you,_ " she said softly _, "but I don't want you to get takeout and ruin my dinner."_

"But Sam, you don't co-" Jack interrupted himself when he heard a loud sound on the other end of the line. "What's that?"

" _The timer, I think. Look I have to go-"_

"Wait Sam, you don't cook! Sam?" Jack frowned at his cell phone and saw that the call had been disconnected. She didn't cook. What the hell was she doing? For a moment he was wondering about the sound he'd heard. The timer, she  _thought_. Did they have a smoke alarm?  _No, those things sound differently, don't they?_ He wasn't sure and he never used the timer. If he were honest, he didn't even know they  _had_  a timer! Oh God, he had to get home! "How's the traffic?"

"Not getting much better, Sir," the driver responded from his position on the driver's seat.

"Great," Jack muttered. It wasn't that far from home, right? Lowering the window, Jack recognized the neighborhood and knew they were only a few blocks from his house. After spending all his time here he was actually learning to find his way in DC. A scary thought. "Never mind," he told the driver as he scooted over the seat. "I'll walk the rest of the way, you go home and I don't want to see you until tomorrow evening."

"Yes Sir!"

Holding his briefcase, Jack crossed the sidewalk and walked as fast as he could until he was around the corner and couldn't refrain himself from running. Surely Sam wouldn't burn the house down, right? The thought alone made him run even faster, ignoring the passersby who were frowning at the USAF Major General. It only took him less than ten minutes before he reached their street. No sign of smoke, that's a good thing! Slightly out of breath from his exertions, Jack finally reached the door and, finding it unlocked, opened it. "Sam? Sam?"

"Jack, you're here already! I thought you were stuck in traffic!" She replied, coming from the kitchen, smiling at him. "Are you okay? You look a little flushed."

"I'm fine," he batted away her hand that was reaching for his forehead. "What about you?" He asked as he calmly made his way to the kitchen.

"We just talked, silly," she giggled, shaking her head at his antics. "Sorry about hanging up on you, by the way but it really was the timer and I didn't want to burn the sauce."

"So dinner…?" Jack peered into the kitchen and noticed everything looked perfectly fine.

Reaching up, Sam pressed a kiss on his cheek, blushing as she did. She had figured a few days ago that it would only be awkward if she was going to keep her distance from him. She was obviously attracted to him, her body reacted almost instantly when he was around and she was pretty sure he was attracted to her as well. They were married after all and he shared their bed and even responded to her kiss last night! Maybe this would lead her even faster to recovery?

"Sam?"

"Oh," she smiled sheepishly, "dinner is all ready. I even set the table, look."

Turning around, Jack noticed that she was right. Even the food was already there, which probably explained why the kitchen looked just as he left it. "I thought you didn't cook?" He tried to be casual as he walked towards the table to lift the lid and peek inside.

"What? Of course I do, I used to help my mother all the time," she frowned at him, surely he must know she cooked? "After she… died, I did most of the cooking. What?" She asked him as he just stood there staring at him. "I do cook!"

"Yes, yes," he replied slowly, looking at the Mexican sauce, "I can see that." It looked and smelled delicious if he was being honest. "It's just that…."

Incredulous, Sam glared at him. "What? Didn't I ever cook?"

"Not really, you said you weren't any good. Although you did brag about your soufflé and your cookies are to die for," he explained, his brain still having trouble with the situation.

"Oh, well I don't know why I said that because I can-"

"Sam!" he interrupted her defensive answer again and held up her hand.

"What?"

"You used to cook with your mother?"

She shrugged and crossed her arms. "Well, she did most of the cooking I merely helped out. You know, washing and cutting the vegetables or stir the sauce every now and then. Why?"

"You remember doing that?"

"Yes," she replied impatiently, "like it was yeste-" Sam covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh! I remember that!"

"That's good, Sam, that's really good," Jack smirked at her. "Now, let's eat."


	16. At Night

Jack was loading the dishwasher when he heard Sam turn off the shower. Dinner had been nice and he was surprised that the food tasted really good. For some reason he figured that Sam always claiming to be a lousy cook meant that, even now that she admitted to being able to cook, she could heat and boil things but not prepare a  _good_  meal. Perhaps she should make dinner more often, considering he'd never thought of a Mexican dish when he bought the ingredients and yet she'd made a delicious meal from it. He should probably ask her if it meant she could also make cake, already knowing she made the best cookies.

After getting over the initial shock – the food as well as her sudden memories – he had enjoyed spending time with her and they'd talked about nothing in particular. It felt extremely good to come home from his boring work to find her waiting for him, dinner already made and just keeping him company after stressing over her life for eight months. Not to mention that they hadn't really done this before, either. They'd spent weekends or mere hours together, laughing, talking, kissing, caressing, making love and somewhere in between they found time to eat and sleep, before one of them had to go back to their respective state. He had hardly been able to get some downtime and even when he could, it almost never coincided with when  _she_  could get downtime. It was frustrating, really. Jack suspected that sometimes the President had denied him out of spite, because he and Sam had eloped for lack of a better word. They had bent and twisted the rules without really breaking them. They had simply taken the chance when the opportunity presented itself. With the exception of alien influence they'd never, in eight years, given in to their feelings for each other. Despite caring more than they were supposed to, they had carried out their duties and even killed the other or a double without being sure it was a double.

If he were honest, the fraternization regulations had already been bent from day one, when Teal'c had joined their team after saving their lives and swore allegiance to their planet and cause. The way the Jaffa had been willing to follow his lead was already more than simply following a brother in arms. The bond Jack had formed with Daniel on the first mission to Abydos wouldn't have been tolerated if Daniel had been in the military. Hell, Kawalsky and Ferretti had lied for him about what had really happened during that mission in their official report, surely that was against regulations as well? As well as the friendship the men had formed. He'd been torn to practically order Teal'c to kill Kawalsky when he was taken as a host, even if he himself had been the one to order the gate to be shut off. He hadn't lied when he told the Jaffa that his friend died on the table, but their close friendship while being in the same chain of command was already more than acceptable if one were to follow the regs to the letter. In a way, he and Sam had been the last to bend those regs when they realized they cared more about each other than they were supposed to.

There was no doubt in Jack's mind that it was some lousy lawyer at JAG that wrote up the regs, probably one that had never even served in a team or at least not in special forces, black ops or something similar to the work they did at the SGC. No, that person certainly would've never been in the position to forge special bonds with his teammates under the daily duress of death and torture. Jack had been a good soldier, not showing any preference towards a member of his team; simply because they were all special, all family to him. Most of the people at the SGC were like family and almost each and every one of them would give their lives to try and save one of their own. Did that mean the entire SGC disregarded the frat regs? Daniel and Sam were like brother and sister, science twins people liked to call them. Teal'c was like their much older and wiser brother, always keeping an eye out, watching their six, ready to die to save them. He knew for a fact that Daniel and Janet Fraiser were much closer than the regs allowed; Daniel might not be military, but he was still a civilian employee of the Department of Defense, an Air Force civilian employee if not government contracted – Jack wasn't completely sure of the details – and while Janet Fraiser was an M.D. she was also a Major in the USAF and that meant, strictly speaking that they weren't supposed to fraternize either! Not to mention that as the CMO of the base she was technically his doctor.

Technically speaking the CIA was a civilian intelligence agency of the United States  _government_. The Denver and Colorado Springs police departments were under the overview of the  _government_  agency. Therefore, one could say – hypothetically speaking – that CIA agent Kerry Johnson and Detective Pete Shanahan were, directly or indirectly government contractor employees, right? Jack briefly wondered if perhaps he'd been studying the fraternization regulations a bit too intense, because that would mean that _technically speaking_  he and Sam, as United States Air Force members had broken the regs already with their exes. And now that he thought about it, he should probably look into off world liaisons, allies or mere contacts and  _friends_  that they've helped with Air Force money or  _government_  funds and their relationships or fraternization with Air Force members. Yeah, he should probably give those people at JAG or whoever formulated those damn regs a whole new load of work just to keep them busy out of spite. However, that would also mean that, for example the late Jacob Carter had been in violation of the frat regs, simply by blending with Selmak. All the men on base – with the exception of Teal'c of course – had broken the regs when they had been under the influence of Hathor a few years ago… The frat regs should have a special addendum to make sure to exclude alien influence. None of that would matter, of course if he could finally convince the President and the JCS that the frat regs should exempt the SGC and the upcoming Atlantis Expedition or anything else relating to off world missions. A 'work in progress' George Hammond had called it when he'd handed it over to him along with the rest of the duties as head of Homeworld Security. It was all very interesting, but it also confused the hell out of Jack.

"Jack?"

He swiveled on his feet to see his lovely wife standing in the doorway. "Ah, I was just thinking," he tried to explain, assuming she'd been standing there for a while due to her facial expression.

"Oh, anything important?"

Making a dismissive wave with his hand, he shook his head. "Not anymore." Jack gave her a quick onceover. "All done with your shower?" he knew it was a stupid question, considering she was standing right in front of him, wearing her shorts and tank top, her wet hair combed back.

"Yessir," Sam smirked wickedly. "All done," she nodded and gestured towards the stairs. "The bathroom is all yours, I was just getting my meds. I forget to take them with dinner."

"Right," he dragged his hand through his hair while looking at her scantily clad figure. Damn, his libido was in overdrive. "I won't be long," he told her as he started towards the staircase. "Can't wait to get out of this suit," he muttered under his breath as he tugged on his dress blues. Due to his haste to make sure Sam wasn't burning the house down and his subsequent relief at finding her with a delicious homemade dinner, he hadn't had the time to change his clothes.

"Take your time," she offered as she grabbed the pills and a glass of water. "Do you think it's too late to call Janet?"

Jack froze with his foot on the first step and his head snapped in her direction. "Why, is something wrong?"

"No!" Sam exclaimed, with an emphatic shake of her head. "I'm fine, she just wanted me to check in now that she's not around to drop by or have me come to the infirmary for a daily checkup," she chuckled. Janet's concern was touching and she wanted to talk to her. "Besides, I have no idea what to wear tomorrow evening."

"Oh, of course, go ahead, I'll be upstairs," he replied, relieved. He was probably going to need a  _cold_  shower, though instead of enjoying a nice warm one for his tired muscles.

Sam swallowed the hand full of pills followed by a few gulps of water and went in search of the wireless handset, intent of telling her friend about recent developments as well as asking for advice. She finally found it on a ledge in the hallway, next to the downstairs bathroom. That was when she remembered Jack picking up the phone to some telemarketer after dinner while they had been talking on the couch with a glass of wine. The annoying person on the other end of the line had effectively killed their easy conversation as Jack had got up and wandered around the house with the phone and she had decided to head upstairs for a shower. He must have gone to the bathroom afterwards and left it there. She rolled her eyes and grabbed the handset with a silly smile on her face, not knowing why it amused her so much.

" _Hello?"_  Janet Fraiser's voice came through loud and clear after Sam plopped down on the couch and dialed her number.

"Hi Janet, it's me," she replied as she leaned into the cushions.

" _Sam! How are you? There isn't anything wrong, is there?"_

She automatically shook her head. "No, I'm fine, just checking in."

" _Good, I'm glad to hear that honey. Have you taken the vitamin pills and the iron supplements I prescribed?"_

"Yes, I just took them," Sam rolled her eyes.

" _I thought I told you to have them with dinner, Sam! Don't tell me you've just finished dinner, it's already,"_  the doctor paused, Sam assumed to look at the clock and add the two hour difference to it to have the right time,  _"over 2230 hours!"_

She quickly glanced at the clock as well, not having realized the time had gone by so fast after dinner! "I know, Janet. We had dinner a while ago, but I'd forgotten to take them so I did just now."

" _Humph_ ," she snorted.  _"Don't tell me you're as careless with your birth control pills as you are with your vitamins or I'll come to DC, Colonel."_

Sam chuckled at the stern warning. "What, and shove them down my throat? I swear, Jan, I take them every morning after brushing my teeth."

" _I'm glad to hear that, honey_."

"But," Sam smiled shyly, even though the petite doctor couldn't see her, "I could use some help with what I have to wear tomorrow."

" _Tomorrow, why?"_

She shrugged and scrunched up her nose. "Jack said the President is having some sort of shindig and apparently ordered both of us to be present," she sighed. "He thinks he wants to try and make up for practically declaring me dead," Sam still shuddered at the thought.

" _Who, the President?"_

"Yeah, Jack thinks the President wants everyone to know that I'm alive and kicking now that he's called off my memorial service…."

" _Oh, honey, it must be hard for you-"_

"I'm okay, really." She quickly interrupted her.

Lucky for her, Janet seemed to understand her reluctance to talk about it.  _"What about your dress blues?"_

"What?"

" _Can't you wear those?"_

"I don't know, Jack said it was formal attire."

" _I bet General O'Neill is going to wear his dress blues_ ," she chuckled,  _"but I have to admit it's much more fun to wear a nice dress."_

Sam absentmindedly plucked on the hem of her tank top, thinking about the contents of her closet. "I don't know what to wear, I don't seem to have that many dresses."

" _Most of your stuff is probably still at Area 51."_

"Even after eight months?"

" _Well, you had an apartment there and I think I heard Daniel mention that the AF cleared it but stored your things in one of the base quarters. The base still has a lot of empty quarters since most of the civilians want to live off base and the AF scientists are divided over the SGC, the Alpha Site, the Atlantis Expedition and Area 51, you know."_

Sam nodded as Janet was explaining it to her, it made sense. "I'll ask Jack about it, but I doubt I can get my stuff here by tomorrow."

" _What about that little black halter dress with those red- oh no, you wore that with Pete… ah, you have that dark blue floor length dress or the red one that just reaches your knees_ ," Janet offered.

"Who?"

" _No one, doesn't matter, not important. Do you have those dresses there?"_

Frowning, Sam listened to her and decided to ask about this 'Pete'-guy later while thinking about what she'd seen when she went through her closet the other day. "I don't remember a red one, maybe a blue one."

" _I know you have a soft pink evening gown there because we bought that together when Ca- I was staying over and we went shopping. You also bought a black one that day… I know, we went a bit overboard but we were celebrating and hadn't shopped in ages."_

Sam grinned, wondering how many times they'd used that excuse before. "So a pink and a black one?"

" _I think you also have a brown one, but I don't know if you still have that one and if you do if it's in Nevada or DC. Maybe even in your father's old apartment here, I really don't know."_

"Okay, sounds like I should have at least one dress that should suit the occasion."

" _Yes, there is nothing that says 'Look, I'm not dead' more than a pretty dress,_ " Janet joked.  _"And you could always use your dress blues as a last resort."_

"True," Sam giggled at her lame attempt to joke about the reason her presence was required. At least she wasn't walking on eggshells around her anymore. "Thanks Janet."

" _Don't mention it, honey. Now, tell me; is that really why you called me?"_

"What else should there be?"

" _You're sure there is nothing wrong? The General isn't being-"_

"Jack is wonderful, really patient without crowding me," she immediately objected.

" _I'm glad to hear that, Sam."_ Was that relief in her voice?  _"What about those chest pains? Are you still having nightmares?"_

"I'm not sure, it's more like my breasts I think," she replied, blushing as she felt uncomfortable. She wasn't going to mention the nightmares, they were still there but when Jack was holding and comforting her it didn't upset her as much.

" _Are they tender? That's okay, Sam, that could be because of the hormones now that you're on the pill again. You have been off birth control for a while now, so your body needs to readjust. I know you've mentioned tenderness and even a slight increase in size before, it's in your file. Just keep an eye on it and finish the packet, I'm more worried about hypertension and your overall hormone balance."_

Sam thought for a minute, contemplating her response. "Well, I feel fine other than, you know, that. Why, was I hypertensive before?"

" _No, not unless you were under stress and-"_

"Janet, I know what I used to do for a living, I don't think there was a time I wasn't under stress… well, maybe when I transferred to Nevada."

Janet chuckled and clacked her tongue.  _"Actually, it only happened when you weren't taking care of yourself. Pulling all-nighters and barely eating… that's why I want you to eat properly, especially after what you've been through. Your electrolytes were imbalanced, you've lost quite some weight and your hormones were all screwed up. You're lucky you're not hypertensive, but I just want to make sure and keep an eye on it. Not being able to remember can get quite stressful and frustrating, Sam."_

"I know, I understand. I am eating healthy; breakfast, lunch and even made dinner tonight."

" _You mean_ ordered  _and_  bought _dinner, right?"_

Hearing Janet's amusement, Sam frowned and stared at the phone. Why did everyone think she couldn't cook? "No, I made it myself."

" _Of course you did, Sam. Don't worry, I won't tell the General_ ," she joked.

"Janet, I mean it! Why doesn't anyone believe me? I can cook, dammit! And for your information, Jack thought it tasted good too."

" _Really? You're being serious? Wow, honey, I had no idea, you were always saying you were a lousy cook."_

"Well," Sam huffed, "I'm not really. I don't know why everyone thinks that and-"

" _Probably because you keep saying it, although you apparently do make a mean soufflé."_

"That's true and I can make a hell of a lot more than that, Janet. Oh, that's right!" She exclaimed, remembering her little discussion with Jack earlier that evening. "I remembered something when I was trying to convince Jack that I wasn't trying to poison him or burn the house down…"

" _Oh, what was it?"_ Janet asked, excitement sounding through the line loud and clear. Sam could just imagine her grabbing a notepad and writing everything down. Hmm, she probably already made notes during the conversation or simply recorded it….

"I used to help my mother make dinner, that's how I learned to cook. After she died, I started making dinner. I didn't even realize it until Jack pointed out to me that I said that aloud," she admitted, blushing.

" _That is good, Sam, that's really good. It looks like more and more of your early memories seem to be returning, it's a very good sign! I already planned to have another meeting with Dr. King, you remember the doctor that specializes in amnesia? Well, both our calendars were pretty full so it will probably be next week or the week after and I really want to examine you before that."_

Sam grimaced at the idea of being examined again. She wasn't really into the whole poking and prodding, especially not by a stranger. "Okay, I'm sure that can be arranged," she relented, rolling her eyes. "I should probably head to bed," she tried, not wanting to go into further detail.

" _Of course, it's getting late there. Have a goodnight Sam and don't overdo it tomorrow. You still tire easily, remember? Call me the day after!"_

"Will do, bye Janet," she yawned and pressed the red button before placing the handset on the coffee table. Sam looked around the room and turned off the lights, before heading upstairs. She hadn't been listening to anything but Janet, but she knew they had been on the phone for a while so Jack was probably already in bed. "Jack?"

Hearing her soft whisper, Jack turned around and smiled at her. "Hey, how was everything with the Doc?"

"Fine," she replied as she padded over to the bed. Not wanting to wake him, she'd whispered but it was obvious he was wide awake. "You weren't waiting up for me, were you?"

"Nah," he denied, throwing the covers back so she could slip in. He'd gone downstairs after a while, having put on clean boxers when he was done showering, but she'd been all wrapped up in the phone conversation that he didn't want to disturb and he'd sneaked back upstairs. Obviously, she hadn't heard him or she wouldn't be asking. The only thing he'd overhead was something about dresses before Sam had started talking about her medications and, deciding that there wasn't anything she'd been holding back from him, he'd decided he'd heard enough and went back.

Sam joined him and scooted over to the middle of the bed. It was still dark – she hadn't bothered with the lights knowing there wasn't anything in her way over to the bed that she could bump into – but she could make out his features as she snuggled up to him. Reaching behind her, Sam pulled her pillow closer and placed it against his before leaning up and looking at him. She was feeling slightly uncomfortable, with him just lying there. "Jack?"

His name on her lips, in the dark like this, sounded so intimate and only vaguely – it had been over eight months since they'd shared a bed – familiar that he almost startled. Rolling on his side to face her, Jack gave her a small smile. "Yes?"

"Do you," she sighed and gnawed her lip, unsure. Leaning closer, she saw his eyes narrow. "Do you… have to go to work tomorrow?" She lamely finished, backing out.

Jack felt slightly… disappointed? He hadn't known what she was going to ask him, but he had his suspicions and this wasn't one of them. "No, I figured if my presence was required at Hayes' shindig than I wouldn't have to go to work. After all, the man already told me I could work at home for a few days until you got settled in and everything."

"Oh," she nodded.

Her breathing was slightly unsteady, he could tell. They'd been working on the field together for over seven years and there was that year that he'd been commanding the SGC and she SG-1. Not to mention that her breathing pattern was as familiar to him as his was to her ever since they'd gotten married. He knew hers deviated slightly from that when they were sleeping off world, because that meant she had to be alert and ready to get up any minute. At home, she didn't have to worry about that and could completely relax. Even if it had taken both of them some time to be able to do that in each other's presence, he wasn't sure if he was ever able to. He'd always been holding back when he was married to Sara, afraid of getting violent during one of his many nightmares but he seemed to be coping better with Sam. Probably because they were much alike in that respect. She was tense now and that, in combination with the heavy silence that descended upon their bedroom, made him tense in turn. What was going on?

Sam swallowed hard, her eyes darting over his face, even down his chest a few times. Why was she so nervous about this? Taking a deep breath – she could swear he was regarding her suspiciously with his dark eyes – she snuggled up even closer, entwining her legs with his and resting her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beat steady under her palm and it calmed her somewhat. She could do this, dammit.

"Sam?" Jack asked in a whisper. Maybe he had been right after all, he thought as she leaned closer. Her gorgeous face hovering in front of him. It was up to her now, he would just wait and see what she'd do. He wasn't going to assume. His eyes flicked from hers to her lips as her tongue darted out to wet them. The little pink tip made his blood boil and he had to restrain himself from reaching out to her.

His heart was starting to beat faster.  _Anticipation_ , Sam mused _, maybe even nerves. Adrenaline coursing through his body, making the blood vessels contract, dilates the air passages and increases the heart rate._  She knew it by heart and knew what he was feeling right now, because her heart was pounding too, her breathing unsteady. Her mouth was getting dry and she could feel herself flush, her cheeks slowly starting to burn while her blood was flowing so fast it was almost deafening to her ears. For a minute she wondered if he could hear her heart beat as she leaned in, his eyes widening and lips slightly parting as if he wanted to say something… she didn't let him and pressed her lips to his.

No matter what he had been expecting, Jack was still taken aback when she finally  _did_  kiss him. He responded immediately, though. His tongue tracing her soft lips, teasing, probing, before he pulled back to gently grab her lip between his teeth. She moaned and kissed him harder, pressing him back into the pillow as she rolled partially over him, her face hovering above his when she finally pulled back. Jack saw the glint in her eyes, her wet lips glistening in the faint light coming from the alarm clock and he licked his own lips, tasting her. "Sam," he gasped before her lips captured his again. Her hand was coming up to cup his cheek, her tongue demanding entrance.

Using his moan as her tongue was probing between his lips, sliding over his teeth to gain access, Sam thrust in, reveling in the taste of him. He tasted good, even with the combination of toothpaste and pure Jack O'Neill. Their tongues touched, pressed, pushed and explored. The texture of his tongue gliding along hers before the tip touched her palate, making her moan into his mouth. Damn, he could kiss!

Jack's hand reached up to cup the back of her head as he leaned up slightly, thrusting his tongue deeper into her mouth. God, he'd missed her. Their teeth almost clashed in their enthusiasm and he felt her smile in the kiss. Desire shot through his body to his already stiffening arousal when she pushed his tongue away to lick his lips, before pulling him back in and sucking on it. He shifted on the bed, trying to get more comfortable as she sucked harder, softly biting down on his tongue and for a moment he was afraid he might actually blow right then and there if she'd keep this up. He tugged on her hair before breaking the kiss. "Sam," he whispered, panting harshly as she frowned at him, no doubt wondering why he was stopping. She was just as affected as he was, if her heaving chest and breathlessness were anything to go by. "Samantha," he tried again, clearing his throat as he sat up, gently pushing her to the side.

"What's wrong, Jack?" she asked as she sat down, looking at him. He'd been enjoying it too, right?

He dragged a hand over his face in frustration, willing his body to calm down. "Nothing, it's just," he sighed. "I don't think this is such a good idea-"

Sam gasped, her hand quickly covering her mouth as her other was still lying on her chest above her racing heart. "Why not?"

Jack groaned as he cast his eyes downward, unable to look at her. It may have been a couple of months, but he would never forget what a flushed Samantha Carter, an aroused Samantha Carter looked like and he certainly didn't want to see that now in the flesh. He could hardly tell her it was because he wanted to throw her down, rip off her clothes and take her right now. No, he had to be a bit more tactful about it.  _Right…_  "Look, Sam, I don't know…"

"Well, neither do I," she retorted. It was embarrassing, she really thought he wanted this. Grabbing the covers, she made sure to pull them up to cover her trembling body. There was no doubt about it; her body remembered him, wanted him.

"I'm sorry," he glanced to the side but she'd ducked her head, not looking at him. He couldn't really blame her, since he had a hard time looking at her as well. "Let's just get some sleep, okay?"  _Yeah right, Jack._ Like hell he'd be able to sleep right now. He couldn't go to the bathroom under the guise of taking another shower to take care of his… problem, she'd probably see right through him and would be even more humiliated.

"Sleep," Sam huffed and slipped under the covers, turning her back on him. What had happened? God, she'd been so sure that this would work!

Swallowing hard, Jack looked at her form under the covers. She was on her side, curled up like a ball. Damn, he really screwed up, he thought as he laid back on his back, hands folded under the pillow. Everything had been going great between them and now that she was showing an interest in him as her husband, he couldn't even restrain himself during a  _goddamn kiss!_  He felt like tossing and turning, but knew that would only make matters worse. He wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, but if she'd turn around or look over her shoulder he was sure she could see the tenting under the light covers.  _Great, just fucking great!_

How was she going to face him in the morning?  _Oh no!_  He'd just told her he had the entire day off  _and_  they were expected to attend that Presidential event. He'd be around her all day! This was so humiliating, what had she been thinking? Had she misread him that much? She wasn't comfortable lying like this; her panties were dampened, her pillow was way too close to his and her breasts were still tender like she'd told Janet and now her left one felt squashed. There was no way she was going to turn around, though, to face him. She'd be too exposed lying on her back as well and she was sure she could feel his eyes on her. Lying on her stomach was out too, because that would be even more uncomfortable. His breathing was steady, but she knew he was still awake. "Maybe I should sleep in the guestroom," she whispered. She didn't really want to but she couldn't stay like this, the tension might suffocate her when she'd finally fall asleep!

"No," he replied.

"I think I should," she said, starting to get up.

Jack reached out and grabbed her arm. "Don't be ridiculous, Sam. The bed's not made and the room hasn't been aired in a while."

"Then I'll sleep on the couch," she groaned, trying to pull her arm free.

"Like hell you are," he pulled on her arm when she tried to get free by scooting away, making her fall back against his chest.

"Jack, let me go."

He took a deep breath and grabbed her chin with his free hand, forcing her to look at him. "Sam-"

"You and Janet want me to rest, right? I can't sleep here anymore," she protested, trying to get out of his hold.

"I'm sorry," he held her gaze. "I didn't meant to… Ah, crap," he sighed. "It's just that… I don't want you, err…-"

Sam closed her eyes at his stammering. "I got that already," she whispered, her cheeks burning. And she'd been thinking it couldn't get worse? More humiliating? "You were perfectly clear in that," she huffed.

"What, no!" Jack exclaimed, frowning. "I meant that I don't want to, you know… force you into this," he was searching for words, his eyes everywhere but on her face.

"Don't lie to me," she replied softly, a lump in her throat. "Just be honest and admit you don't want me. I came onto you, Jack, how is that forcing me?"

His head snapped up, dark eyes founding bright blue ones. "Sam," he whispered, letting go of her arm to cup her cheek. "I don't want you to feel obligated. You don't remember me, you don't even know yourself right now. I don't want you to regret this or feel like you should, because I don't want you like that. I'll wait until you're ready, just take your time. I'm not going to rush you…."

Sam bit her lip, frowning at him. "What do you mean?" she couldn't help her trembling voice and she could feel herself tear up again. God, she hated being this emotional!

"Hey," he smiled at her, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "I waited eight years for you; I can wait a bit longer. We have all the time of the world and I don't want to ruin this," he made a helpless gesture with his hand, releasing her chin. "You're scared, you don't remember anything – or at least not much – and I promise I'm here for you, but I can't do this right now, Sam. I don't want it to be a meaningless fuck because you think you owe me or anything. I want to make love to you and I can wait for that, for you to recover. It's not that I don't want you, trust me but not like this, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded. His eyes were so unguarded, she couldn't remember ever seeing him this open, this honest and she believed him. She still wanted him though, but she understood what he was saying; they'd wait a bit longer. She'd already seen his reaction to her when he'd pulled her back, although he'd rearranged the covers now, so she knew he really  _did_  want her. "Let's get some sleep."

Jack simply pulled her down under the covers again and spooned behind her, careful not to press his erection against her. He knew he still couldn't sleep, not yet at least, so he waited for her to fall asleep first. And he waited, and waited. A quick glance at the alarm clock told him it was already past midnight and he knew by her tense body and her breathing that she was still awake. His arousal was deflating already,  _thank god,_  but he couldn't fall asleep. Normally he could simply will his body to fall asleep, no matter what the circumstances but not tonight. His mind was still going over what happened, what Sam had done and he figured it was the same for her.

"Sam?"

"Yeah?"

"Can't sleep?"

"Not really," she mumbled. She was tired, but somehow she couldn't really relax.

He gently squeezed her hip. "We're okay, right?"

"We're okay," she confirmed.

"Then go to sleep."

Rolling her eyes, Sam patted his hand. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, why aren't you asleep?"

"Dunno."

"Do we really have to go tomorrow?" She tried to change the subject, hoping that perhaps her mind and body would forget about what had just happened – or rather what  _hadn't_  happened – and she'd finally fall asleep.

"Ordered by the President," he mumbled, after yawning loudly.

"I don't even know the man," she protested.

Jack chuckled, nuzzling her hair. "No offense, Sam, but you don't really know anyone at the moment."

"Funny," she elbowed him. "I am starting to remember, though."

"I know," he quickly reassured her. "I'm glad."

"I'd wish it happened faster and not these… useless memories," she sighed. At the moment she could care less about her twenty-years-old memories, she just wanted to remember her marriage, her life, Jack!

"Hey, they're not useless," he huffed. "You remember your mother, that's good."

She shrugged. "Not a lot, just us in the kitchen. Making dinner."

"Sam? After she died, you said you made dinner…."

"Yeah?"

"For who?" He'd almost forgotten about Mark, until she'd just brought up their plans for tomorrow.

She frowned and glanced over her shoulder to look at him. "What do you mean for who? My Dad and me, I guess."

"Just you two? He was away a lot, you know."

"Air Force," she mumbled, remembering him in his dress blues. "Mark!"

"Yes!"

"He's my brother, right? I can't believe I forgot about him…."

Jack simply nodded in her hair, not wanting to reply to her forgetting certain people… "Yeah, about that; he wants to come over tomorrow."

"What?"

"I called him today and he's probably already landed, something about a conference for work."

Sam was still trying to process everything, but her mouth kept on going. "Really? What does he do?"

"I have no idea, you never told me."

"Oh."

"Argh, it's getting late, Sam. We really should try to get some sleep," Jack moaned and pressed a kiss on her shoulder.

"Goodnight Jack." She doubted she could sleep right now, not with her mind going miles a minute!


	17. Mark Carter

"So… what does he look like?"

Jack looked up from his position on the bed and thought for a minute. "Who, the President? Ah, late sixties, gray hair, about 5'10", hundred-sixty pounds, former USAF-"

"Not the President, Mark!" Sam exclaimed, rolling her eyes exasperated. Why would she be interested in the President?

"Oh," he frowned. They had been talking about what Sam was going to wear for tonight's event while she was standing in their walk-in closet and he was… well, not doing much besides lying on the bed. He'd made breakfast this morning the moment he'd woken up – afraid he'd get too  _comfortable_  with Sam in his arms – and by the time his famous omelets were done she'd joined him downstairs. After that he'd gone for a run and gotten showered afterwards, made a few phone calls to HWS and Mark had called him to tell him he'd be there in the afternoon.

He wasn't sure what Sam had been doing besides taking a long bath, probably alphabetizing their bookshelves or something since he'd messed her entire 'system' up while she'd been gone. Then she'd mentioned that she didn't know what to wear and after a while he'd gone upstairs to make sure she hadn't gotten lost in the closet. Now, he was simply enjoying her company while resting on the bed, considering he'd been more tired when he'd woken up this morning than he'd been before he'd gone to bed the night before. Maybe he'd dozed off for a minute since he'd missed her changing subjects because apparently they were talking about her brother now. "Ah, I don't know."

Sticking her head out of the closet, Sam looked at him. "What do you mean you 'don't know?'"

"Ah," he sat up and rubbed the back of his neck. He'd have to tell her before Mark would get here so he might as well do it now. "Well, you see, we haven't exactly… met."

"Why?" She asked, stunned. "I mean, he's my brother and you're my husband… wasn't he at the wedding?"

"Like I said, we were working together for eight years; I was your CO and you were my 2IC," he started to explain. "So when we were both being reassigned and thus not in the same chain of command for a few weeks, we decided to get married because of, you know," he squirmed on the bed, "our  _feelings_  for each other."

Forgetting about her clothes for a minute, Sam joined him on the bed. "And…?"

Jack shrugged and gave her a small smirk. "We had a small window of opportunity to get hitched and you and Mark had gotten into a fi- _argument_  a few weeks before at Dad's funeral and you were a bit reluctant to tell him about the wedding."

"We argued at a funeral?" her brows shot up. "At our own  _father's_ funeral?"

"It's a long story," he waved it away, not wanting to go into detail like telling her about that  _cop_  friend of Mark's she'd gotten engaged to and dumped only weeks before they'd gotten together. Or about what had happened to her Dad, the blending with Selmak and why and how he'd died. He knew about the argument, he knew what she'd been keeping from Mark if not for her own sense of privacy then for national – planetary – security. "And it was after the service, actually. You two were both emotional after Dad died," he grimaced at the memory, "and things got out of hand. So when we were getting married you eventually decided you wanted Mark there too, knowing your argument wasn't worth estrangement and he was the last blood related family you had left. Only when you called him he was away on business and only got back after the wedding."

"I see, and after that?" Sam asked, a bit anxious. She couldn't believe that she would have argued with her brother after burying their father! It was strange to think that she would do such a thing, even if she couldn't remember anything of it.

"You two tried to get together to talk but you ended up leaving voicemails for each other…."

"I guess that's when I disappeared, right?"

Jack sighed and nodded slowly, throwing his arm around her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it; you both wanted to set it right you just… didn't have the time."

She gave him a weak smile before standing up again. "So you two never met?"

"We sort of met at the funeral," he rolled his eyes. "But I doubt he remembers that because at the time I was merely your CO."

"He doesn't know that I married you?" Sam gasped, stunned at her own behavior. How could she not have told her brother something that important? Now he was going to show up here to talk, probably. Maybe even wanting to make up, but she didn't even remember him. Nothing besides a fleeting memory of a young teen with too long hair, zits and cheeky – or 'insubordinate' as she remembered her father calling it – behavior towards their only parent.

"I don't think so," Jack winced, knowing he was being a wuss – if only the Goa'uld could see him now, ha! – but he really wasn't looking forward to today's visit. "I'm pretty sure he only knows me as 'Jack' and probably doesn't even know I'm in the AF too. He certainly doesn't know I was your CO for eight years before we got married. I'm sorry Sam, I wish this wouldn't be so," he grasped for words, "awkward."

Straightening her shoulders, Sam went back in the closet. "Not your fault," she called back while searching for one of the dresses Janet had described. "But you did see him at the funeral?"

"Yeah," he nodded as he lay back on the bed. "About 6'1", hundred-fifty to hundred-sixty pounds, slightly bend posture," he tried picturing the man in his head again. "Fair skinned but not as pale as you, blond hair but a tinge darker than yours, light eyes and I think you once said he was two years younger than you are, but he looks older. Or maybe you just look younger," Jack grimaced, knowing Sam looked younger than her years which only served to make him feel like their 16-year-age gap was even bigger. Then again, Sam – and several other people, especially women – claimed he looked younger than his fifty-three years.

"Does he look like me?"

He might play dumb a lot of the time, but Jack wasn't really stupid otherwise he would have never made major general and he knew other people knew it too. His cover had been blown years ago when Sam had found out about his love for astronomy and he was certain that the last few years commanding SG-1, keeping his team safe, alive – well, most of the time anyway – and beating some major Goa'uld butt had shown the rest of the AF just that. However, that did not mean he was a genius either; he'd had trouble for years trying to discern whether the aliens they were interacting with were male of female and now Sam expected him to notice family resemblance between her and her brother – whom he'd only seen for a few minutes about a year ago? Closing his eyes, he tried imagining Mark's face again, he'd always been good with remembering faces – names not so much, although he wasn't really as terrible as he liked to pretend – which had served him more than once during his days in black ops.

"Jack?"

"Well, you're both tall," he rolled his eyes at himself for such a stupid answer. Sam's movements in the closet froze, he could tell by the sudden silence. She was probably disappointed by his answer, but he really didn't know if they were anything alike. Mark wasn't in the Air Force, he was married, had kids and neither Sam nor Jacob ever mentioned something about him being as smart as Sam. "Nice, kind, easy going, friendly," he started summing up her good qualities, having observed Mark's interactions at the funeral and service with others as well as his own family briefly. "Caring, honest and yet you both can be quite sarcastic," he remembered his phone conversation with Mark, "and stubborn, but I'm pretty sure that's a Carter quality."

Sam smiled as she walked out of the closet, holding the dark blue dress Janet had mentioned over the phone in one hand. "I'm a bit nervous," she admitted. Anxious was probably more like it; her brother would probably have all kinds of expectations from her as would the President and all the other people attending tonight's party.

Jack waved it away. "Nothing to be nervous about; Mark knows about your… condition and I told him not to expect too much," he tried to give her a reassuring smile.

"Besides tall, are there any other resemblances in our looks?"

Hearing her eager tone and seeing her lovely lips form a curious little smile on her face, made him think harder. "Yeah, there was, you know," he made a helpless gesture with his hand, "a definite sibling resemblance." Jack almost cringed at his own choice of words but Sam simply beamed at him, so he figured it was all good. "You're going to wear that one tonight?" He couldn't remember ever seeing her in it before but the color was very Carter-like.

"Maybe," she grinned, holding it up in front of her while looking in the mirror. "Janet suggested it and it's one of few dresses I actually have here. What are you going to wear?"

"My dress blues," he replied automatically. He hated the damn things, but he might as well wear them instead of a tux – that he hated even more. It wasn't like he could show up wearing kakis or his favorite jeans; he wondered if Hayes had emphasized the formal attire because he suspected Jack might show up in his civvies now that he  _had_  to be there. The thought made him smirk and for a moment he contemplated just doing that, before he realized he really shouldn't. He didn't want to embarrass his wife and he probably shouldn't be so juvenile now that he was the director of HWS. God, it made him feel old.

She remembered seeing him in his dress blues that first day in the infirmary. Well, the first day she'd been awake and relatively lucid, that is. She wasn't entirely sure how long she'd been in the infirmary before that, but it wasn't important. He'd been impressive, confident, intimidating, handsome and had a natural aura of power around him. Plus the blue really accentuated his silver hair. Not to mention the gazillion medals he had on his chest. Now that she thought about it though, it shouldn't be so surprising knowing that he used to command an off world team to save the world and was now heading Homeworld Security! Sam wondered if there was a medal for saving the world. She also made a mental note to check out her  _own_  dress blues, wondering what kind of medals she had. After all, she was already a lieutenant colonel! "Do you think I should wear mine too?"

"No!" Jack almost yelled and, seeing her eyes widen in shock he smiled sheepishly. "No, I think you should wear an evening gown if you want to." He loved her in dresses, never got to see her often enough in them. Although she looked very hot in her dress blues too! Ah well, that wasn't really an argument considering he always thought she was hot. She simply was. And for some strange reason she thought he looked hot in his dress blues too, or so she'd claimed once after he'd gotten home from the Pentagon and found her already waiting for him in the living room for a surprise visit.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?" he got up from the bed and walked over to her by the mirror. She wasn't holding up her dress anymore but simply staring at her reflection.

Sam gnawed her lip as she locked gaze with him via the mirror. "Do you think I should cut my hair?" she asked, running her free hand through the long locks.

For a moment he didn't know what to say. Granted, she looked different with her long hair; softer, more feminine perhaps. That could also be attributed to her unguarded eyes, open and sometimes lost expressions on her face, though. Jack had to suppress the urge to wrap her in his arms and tell her everything was going to be alright constantly because of that. He'd always loved her hair, it was so… shiny and silky looking. It actually was very soft too, he remembered the first time he'd actually touched it and he'd been reluctant to let go. He loved how the light of the sun – or multiple suns – would catch her hair when they were outside or off world. Her short hair suited her, gave her spunk. But he liked it like this too. It wasn't the same hair that alternate doctor Carter had when she visited them through the quantum mirror, or at least not the same style. And he thought that doctor's hair was lighter, almost platinum. His Carter had more color in her golden locks and it wasn't as straight, a bit curlier perhaps. Or maybe wavier, he really didn't know all that much about hair, only that he loved touching it. "I don't know," he said honestly. "Why do you ask?"

"I'm not sure," she replied, turning around to look at him. "I feel pretty much like… well, myself actually. But when I look in the mirror I'm not sure who's looking back. I thought maybe it was the hair, Janet said it used to be shorter. Considering the time I was gone and the average growth rate of hair, I would assume that it has grown at least-"

"Ack! Sam," he brushed a stray lock behind her ear and smiled at her. "You're beautiful, no matter what your hair looks like. I love it anyway," he smiled sheepishly at his sappy confession. "Just think about it for a while, it has to be your choice. I know there were times that you wanted to grow your hair out, but other times you were happy that it was short because it wouldn't get in the way. Besides, you can't cut it right now because Mark will be here in a little while and we have plans for tonight."

"Okay," she gave him a small smile as she nodded and turned back to the closet. "I'm going to try and find one of the other dresses Janet told me about and then I'll see which one I like best."

Jack snorted; she was such a girl sometimes. "Yeah sure you betcha," he smirked. "I'll just go do some groceries and be right back, okay?"

* * *

 _Ah, moment of truth_ , Jack thought as he saw the cab pull up at their house. They were expecting Mark to be here any minute and he wasn't disappointed when the door opened and a tall, blond man stepped out.  _Always trust a Carter to be on time_. "Sam, Mark is here."

"Holy Hannah," she gasped, walking up to the window quickly to get a look at the man that was her brother. Her nerves were getting the best of her and she'd been pacing for the last fifteen minutes – in the kitchen, making sure Jack wouldn't notice. "What do I say?"

Jack gave her a sympathizing look as he cocked his head to the side and looked at her. "Why don't I go open the door, talk to him first – you know,  _introduce_  myself – and you wait here. Go make coffee or something, I'm sure he'll want a cup."

"Okay," she nodded and nervously walked back to the kitchen. It wasn't so much meeting Mark that upset her, but it was what she thought would be his expectations of her. Maybe Jack had been right at lunch when he'd told her she should stop over thinking everything and just wait and see. She couldn't help it though; the thinking. He hadn't been surprised.

Taking a deep breath, Jack slowly but surely made his way over to the door. He wasn't looking forward to introducing himself to Mark. Especially not after the man's comment about Shanahan; Jack had almost forgotten that Mark had been the one to set Sam and that  _cop_ up and that he'd been angry with Sam when she broke off the engagement. Apparently, the two men were still friends. A quick glance over his shoulder assured him that Sam wasn't in sight, so Jack opened the door before his brother-in-law could ring the bell. The younger man was still a few feet away from him, casually strolling up the driveway, glancing at the parked SUV there, which made Jack decide to step out and close the door behind him to talk to Mark in private for a few. "Mark," he tried in his nicest tone of voice.

Squinting, Mark glanced at the guy on the porch. So this was Sammie's husband? He was tall, a bit older, dressed casually in stonewashed jeans and a black sweater, gray hair, slightly tanned in the face as far as he could tell and looked quite confident, relaxed and casual even. "Jack?" He questioned as he stepped up the porch and confirmed from up close that the man was definitely older than Sam, at least ten years. He looked vaguely familiar too, but Mark couldn't really place it.

"Yeah," he smirked, holding out his hand. "Nice to meet you, although I wish it were under different circumstances," Jack continued pleasantly. He'd seen the onceover Mark had given him and did one of his own. Yeah, his description to Sam was dead on.

Mark snorted but took the hand anyway and shook it briefly. "Mark Carter," he unnecessarily replied. It was probably a reflex from the conference he'd just come from and it irritated him that this Jack smirked at him. He was pretty sure there was a twinkle in his eyes as well, it was obvious the man was amused. Damn him! "And you are…?"

He narrowed his eyes, realizing what the other was playing at. "Jack O'Neill."

"So Jack O'Neill," Mark crossed his arms and looked at him. It annoyed him that the other man was taller and he had to look up slightly. A fleeting image went through his mind, but before he could hold onto it it was already gone and only left him with the feeling that he knew this man somehow. "What do you do for a living? I have this vague feeling we've met before."

Slightly surprised, Jack innocently raised his brows, his facial expression otherwise blank. "I'm in the Air Force, like Sam."

"Really?" he looked over the man's shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of his sister but he couldn't see her; the door was closed and she wasn't sitting in front of the window. "I didn't think Sam would date a fellow officer."

"She didn't, we're married," Jack replied, allowing a little smug smile on his face. He knew Sam loved her brother and that he was probably a good guy, but he couldn't help himself. It was obvious that Mark didn't like him – he'd already made that clear during their first phone conversation – and it didn't make him feel inclined to be very nice to him.

"So I've heard," Mark testily replied. God, the man was smug. He was a good judge of character – especially a lot better than Sam – always had been, but he just couldn't read this guy, no matter how hard he tried. What in God's name did Sam see in him? He was a fellow officer, which made him briefly wonder if he was anything like that Hansen guy she'd been engaged to years ago. That guy was insane, a lunatic – her acceptance of his proposal had been cause for another fight and consequent drift between them – and so wrong for his big sister. He'd been unreadable the first few times they'd met too, but there was something in his eyes; craziness, Mark was sure of it. He briefly wondered what happened to the guy after Sam broke off the engagement.

Jack shrugged and leaned back against the door. "Sam was sorry you couldn't make it to the wedding," he offered, knowing he really should start to be nice to him, for Sam's sake.

"Yeah, me too," he glared at him. "Actually, I was quite surprised to hear that she had gotten married when I got back from Japan. I didn't even know she was seeing someone!"

"We didn't have a lot of time," he offered casually, "hence the lack of official invitations and the short notice."

Mark frowned as he tried to hold the older man's gaze. "Shocked is more like it, actually," he explained. "She had just broken off her engagement in October, did you know that?"

"I did," Jack kept his tone light but inside he was fuming at the thought of Sam and that cop together. He'd wanted her to be happy, didn't think she really wanted him, loved him as much as he loved her and was prepared to let her go to get the happiness she deserved. Didn't mean he had to like it, though. And the cop definitely didn't deserve Sam, especially not after stalking her to that Osiris mission to save Daniel and running a background check on her through his FBI buddy.

"Yeah, she and Pete were getting married, they'd been making all the arrangements for weeks. They were really good together," Mark added, wondering what the guy would think of that. "Pete, that's his name, he's a detective really loved Sam. Still does, actually. He even met Dad and got his 'approval,' did Sammie tell you that?"

Swallowing slightly, Jack glanced at the floor before looking up at Mark again. "Look Mark, I get that you're upset over this," he waved his hand around, "but I thought you were here to see Sam. To see how she's doing, not to upset or confuse her."

Mark smiled smugly and rubbed his hands together. "You didn't know that, did you?" It made him wonder what else his sister didn't tell her new husband. Why had she married him in the first place? Apparently they didn't know each other very well, otherwise Sam would have told him, Jack would have known about Pete. He probably didn't even meet Dad – did he even know that Dad was dead?

"Mark," Jack almost barked, using his General voice. "Did you or did you not come here for your sister? To support her and help her remember something about her life?"

All of a sudden Mark felt a bit ashamed. He wouldn't admit it, but this guy was right; he should be thinking of Sam and how he could help her. Not trying to make this about him, his friend Pete and the way Sam had broken his buddy's heart. "Of course I'm here for Sammie!"

"Good," he nodded and gave him an appraising glance. "All she remembers is that your mother died when she was a teenager, that she used to help her cook and after her death Sam took care of dinner for you and Dad," he held up his hand to forestall a reply, "yes, she remembered that about your mother after making dinner yesterday. When I asked her more questions she eventually remembered you, although at the moment it's nothing more than the fact that she has a brother and that you and your Dad didn't get along very well. She remembers George Hammond and his wife being around after your Mom died. She knows that Dad died last year, but she doesn't really remember anything specific; she simply knows. Other than that it are minor things, like her job, astrophysics, what she likes to eat, wear, and such."

"Oh, well, that's good, right?" he asked hopeful.

"She's getting there," Jack confirmed. "Now, the doctors don't want us to put words in her mouth, they want her to remember on her own. So, no forcing memories on her or talk about irrelevant things because that will only confuse her."

"Like what?"

He shrugged, pretending to think for a minute. "Don't ask or tell her things about her work, classified things, about Dad dying, her  _exes_ ," Jack narrowed his eyes at his brother-in-law, hoping he got the message, "other emotional events and-"

"So basically I can't tell her anything?" Mark huffed.

"I knew you'd understand," Jack smirked as he pushed himself from the wall. "I don't know exactly what Hammond told you about Sam, but she's been gone for almost eight months and although she's recovering pretty good, she still looks a bit different." Seeing the man's frown, he quickly continued. "She lost weight, she's still a bit skinny and her hair is longer. Now, she's been very nervous about your visit-"

Mark's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Sammie, nervous?"

Grimacing, Jack nodded an affirmative. "Yeah, I know that doesn't sound like her, but she's afraid of your expectations of her," he shrugged. "You know, she doesn't want to let you down."

"Ah,  _that_  sounds like her."

Jack snorted and turned towards the door. "I know. Just, don't upset her okay? She's come a long way since we found her and I don't want her to have a setback from this. I'm only doing this for Sam, because I know she'd want to see you but I haven't exactly asked her Doc if it was okay."

 _Now, there's a surprise_ , Mark thought sarcastically. He doubted if this man ever asked anyone's permission and found it hard to believe that someone like him would actually join the military, knowing that insubordination would not be tolerated. "Okay," he nodded, refusing to thank him. Sam was his sister, he had a right to see her!

"Good," Jack opened the door and let his brother-in-law in, motioning for him to hang his coat on the peg at the wall and put his little briefcase on the dresser. "Sam?"

Mark shed his coat and turned to put down his briefcase when he saw movement in the corner of his eye. He turned on his heels to come face to face with his sister. "Sammie!" He exclaimed, surprised that his voice sounded so… emotional. Jack hadn't been lying; his sister was much skinnier than he remembered and her hair was reaching her shoulders! Other than that, she looked pretty much the same only without her usual confidence, her steady posture and somewhat guarded eyes. This Sam was nervous, slightly timid even and it tore at his heart to see her so… lost.

"Hi Mark," she replied cautiously, shifting on her feet. "How are you?"

"I'm good," he replied and walked over to her, opening his arms to hug her. "How are  _you_  doing?"

Sam looked over his shoulder at Jack, who gave her an almost imperceptible nod and slowly hugged her brother back. "I'm pretty good," she mumbled, "just lacking memories."

Mark squeezed her a bit tighter before letting go as he noticed her stiffness. She'd never been very emotional on the outside, always trying to be Dad's good little soldier and usually didn't do long hugs. "I'm so glad you're okay, Sammie, I really thought I'd lost you."

"I know," she grimaced and stepped back.

"Why don't we move this to the living room," Jack offered. "Want something to drink, Mark? Coffee, soda, beer?"

"Coffee would be good," he absentmindedly replied as he sat down in the chair. "Two sugars," he added.

Sam shifted on the couch, slightly uncomfortable with his presence. She wasn't sure what she'd expected from this, never mind what her brother expected from her! Looking at his face, she thought she could see some resemblance to her own, but thought he looked more like their Dad while she knew she looked more like her mother. Jack's description was very accurate, though, even if he'd only seen him at the funeral once. "So…."

"Yeah," Mark tried to think of something to say, but if he were honest he had no idea. He hadn't thought this far ahead. All he'd known was that he had to see her with his own eyes, talk to her, make sure she was alive and doing well. "Nice place," he mumbled as he looked around the room. "Good location, too."

"It's nice," she confirmed. "Don't know about the location, really," she admitted, instinctively knowing she shouldn't tell him about being beamed inside the house without seeing anything of DC. "You're familiar around here?"

Mark nodded as he leaned back in the chair. It was comfortable, he noted. "Yeah, we used to live here for a while. You know, with Dad's work…," he cringed when he realized what he just said.

"It's okay," Sam smiled at him, trying to let him know it really was okay. "I remember Dad was in the AF too, so he was stationed here?"

"Yes for a few years and now I come here every once in a while for work."

"There you go," Jack told them as he entered the room with three cups of coffee.

Mark almost jumped; he hadn't heard him approach. "Did you put sugar in it?"

"Yes, hence the spoon," he replied dryly, refraining from rolling his eyes or making some sarcastic remark as he usually would. "Two sugars for you, one black coffee for the lady."

Sam beamed at him as she took the cup and patted the spot next to her, indicating he should sit next to her on the sofa. "Thanks."

The smile hadn't gone unnoticed by Mark and he was surprised to see it on his sister's face; he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her smile like  _that_. It was probably because she was so out of it, so unguarded when it came to her emotions, he decided, not wanting to admit that maybe it had something to do with her feelings for Jack. He thought that was very unlikely, considering she hadn't even remembered the man. "So, Jack said you have an event tonight?"

"Yeah," she bobbed her head, "the President ordered us to be there, so we have to go. Jack thinks he wants me there because of the memorial service they had planned for me."

Mark winced at the mention, remembering how close he'd been to accepting that she was gone forever and that he would have been here to attend that service in honor of her memory. "I see," he mumbled, taking a sip of his coffee.

Jack squeezed Sam's knee for a moment, knowing she was still having a hard time realizing and accepting that she had been declared dead – even when lacking a body – and that they would have buried an empty casket with her name on it. "Don't worry," he told her, "I'll tell Hayes we won't be staying long."

Even if she was slightly curious about the Presidential event, Sam still wasn't sure if she actually wanted to go or not. It was probably best if she would, but she just knew there would be people asking her how she was doing, expecting her to remember them and she really wasn't looking forward to all that. "Good," she gave Jack a small smile before focusing back on her brother. "I'm sorry about our argument at Dad's service," she offered, "Jack told me."

For a minute Mark hoped that she remembered, only to be let down slightly. He knew he shouldn't expect her to, Jack and George had both warned him about her condition but he couldn't help himself. "So am I… Do you know what it was about?"

"Not really," she admitted, blushing slightly.

Seeing Jack glare at him – damn, that guy was scary – he shrugged. "It's not important, it was stupid really. We both said things in the heat of the moment and neither wanted to back down," he grimaced slightly, realizing they had that in common with their late father. "Anyway, I'm sorry about it and I tried calling you afterwards, but we ended up playing phone tag… I'm just sorry that I missed your wedding too."

"I don't remember it," Sam whispered, looking at Jack, knowing how much that would probably hurt him. Hell, it hurt her just thinking about not remembering her own wedding! "But I know I would've wanted you there."

"You did, she did," Jack repeated, turning to Mark. "You two tried to make up, your schedules were just too hectic. It's understandable, I'm pretty sure being a workaholic runs in the family."

Mark snorted at that, realizing the man was right. Dad had been gone more often than he was present during their childhood – most of their lives, actually – or at least that's how he remembered it and now he was working long days and Sam was even worse than he was! "Wait a minute, how did you know about our argument?"

"Jack told me," Sam replied.

"I got that, but how did he know?"

"Sam told me, you know, before she was abducted," Jack replied uncomfortably.

She just patted his thigh while looking at her brother. "And he was there, probably heard half of it," she added, embarrassed by the idea of arguing at her father's funeral.

"You were at the funeral?" Mark almost gasped. "That's why you look so familiar!"

"I guess," Jack replied, noncommittally. He wasn't going to explain to Mark, not now at least. "You and your family were upset when we were introduced, I didn't think you'd remember."

Sipping he last of his coffee, Mark nodded slowly. That meant that Sam and Jack had known each other a little bit longer than he'd thought. Or maybe Jack had known their father and that's how they'd gotten in touch. After all, the man was older than Sam and he was in the Air Force. All he knew was that Sam dumped his friend Pete right after their father had died and that he hadn't been invited to the funeral. According to Sam he hadn't known Dad that well anyway and their relationship was over so she didn't want him there. He'd thought she was being harsh, but she'd stood her ground. "So, you knew Dad?" It hadn't gone unnoticed to him that Jack had called  _his_  Dad 'Dad' quite a few times. Of course, that could simply be because that was how Sam referred to him but still, it was peculiar.

Jack nodded and placed his now-empty cup on the coffee table. "Yeah, great man, good soldier."

"Hm," he looked at him, before glancing back at his sister. It was a very neutral answer… then again, he hadn't come here to interrogate them about their marriage, but he was here for Sam's well being. Besides, without her memories she wouldn't be much help and he doubted he could trust Jack to give him the truth.

"Why don't you kids go talk while I go clean up the kitchen," Jack remarked as he got up, taking their empty cups with him. He wasn't in the mood to be interrogated by Mark, especially not in front of Sam now that she wasn't herself. They could use some time together, talk about their past and family. He really didn't know all that much about her youth, she had never been very open about it and now that he thought about it, neither had he. The remainders from lunch were still on the counter and it gave him something to do while the Carters were talking. Going as slow as possible, Jack decided that the sink could probably use some cleaning and after doing just that he went to the bathroom to clean the toilet. After forty minutes he didn't know what else to do, so he peeked inside the living room to check on the siblings. "Sam?"

"She's just a bit emotional," Mark explained as he glanced from his brother-in-law and sobbing sister. He was surprised himself, he couldn't remember the last time he's seen Sammie cry! She hadn't cried at the funeral, she'd put on her soldier mask and stood there proud to receive the flag. Just like their Dad would have expected from her. Considering her cool behavior towards her breakup with Pete, he doubted she'd cried over that, especially taking into consideration she'd gotten married two months later. He knew for a fact she'd cried when their Mom had died, he'd cried too. With a shock he realized that was the only time he'd seen his big sis cry! Of course, they'd been estranged for a few years but still….

Jack quickly padded over to the sofa and pulled Sam in his arms. "Sam, it's okay," he hushed her, rubbing soothing circles on her back. "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Mark replied defensively, noticing that only made the other man glare at him.

Sam sniffled in his arms, enjoying the warmth and comfort he was giving her. "Mark is right," she said through her sobs as she nuzzled Jack's neck. "We were just talking and I just-"

"Don't worry about it, Carter," Jack mumbled in her hair. "You're just tired," she'd been quite emotional lately, much more than he was used to from her, but he didn't mind. In a way it was good to know that his kickass Carter had a softer side to her, that she could let her emotions out – unlike him, he usually kept everything in which wasn't very healthy or so he'd been told. Janet had warned him that Sam might be more emotional than usual; she still tired easily and not being able to remember took a lot of energy as well as add a lot of frustration. Plus the fact she'd been through withdrawal and was still recovering from the entire ordeal, still taking medications for her hormone imbalance and vitamins and some other… stuff.

Mark felt uncomfortable and slightly awkward to see his sister so… vulnerable, he wasn't used to that. She'd always been the one that had all the answers, the one that could do anything she wanted to and who used her head not her heart. Yet, he couldn't help himself but look at the scene in front of him. It was slightly disturbing to see her fall apart like that and at the same time it was entrancing to see the couple's interaction. Maybe he had misjudged Jack; it seemed like he really cared about Sammie. Then again, that wasn't too hard. A lot of his friends had asked him about his sister and he knew that men found her attractive, he could even see why. So it was no wonder that this Jack O'Neill was attracted to her and yet there seemed to be…  _something_  there. Maybe Laura had been right, maybe Sam really married someone she cared about and someone who obviously cared about her. "Look, I'm sorry Sammie," he started as he got up from his chair.

"It's okay," she reluctantly pulled back from Jack's arms to look at her brother as she wiped some of her tears away. Damn hormones, she hated feeling this weak and emotional. "I don't know what's gotten into me, but it seems to happen every now and then," she complained, rolling her watery eyes.

"I really didn't mean to upset you," Mark continued. "I just wanted to make sure you were all right, I've been so worried about you. I thought you were gone and you can't believe how relieved I was when Uncle George told me you were okay!"

"I'm glad you came by," she replied, even if she hadn't learned that much about her old life. He'd told her some old stories from when they were younger, some things seemed familiar while others didn't. Still, she was glad he came by and hopefully it would help her remember more later on.

"Me too," he told his sister as he looked at her tear-streaked face. "But I have to get to the airport, have a plane to catch."

"Of course," Sam nodded and got up as well.

Mark awkwardly hugged her before pressing a kiss on her cheek. "Don't be a stranger, Sam."

"I won't," she promised him, giving him a wan smile.

Jack stood as well. "Need a ride to the airport?"

"No thanks," he quickly replied, waving his hand. "I'll get a cab."

"At this hour?" Jack snorted. He didn't really like Mark, but Sam loved her brother so if that meant he had to drive him to the airport, so be it. "It'll take you at least an hour and a half if the cab can get here before rush hour starts. C'mon, I'll drop you off."

Seeing he was about to protest, Sam squeezed his arm. "Just go with him, Mark. I'll feel better if Jack drives you."

"Fine," he relented, giving his sister a small smile before making his way over to the door to grab his coat and briefcase.

"I won't be long, Sam," Jack told her, pressing a kiss on her temple before following Mark to get his own coat and the car keys. "I'll wait for you in the SUV," he told his brother-in-law as he got out the door and made his way over to the black monster. He'd loved his old truck, but it was getting old and so he'd left it in Minnesota when he'd gotten the SUV together with his new job at HWS. He didn't know why he'd gotten the car considering the President and the JCS insisted on him using the limo and driver that picked him up every day, but he wasn't about to complain. Sam loved the car – not as much as her Volvos or motor cycles but still loved it – and he had to admit it was a sweet ride. Despite it being winter already it wasn't very cold, so Jack didn't bother zipping up his leather jacket before slipping into the car. He turned on the engine as well as the radio while waiting for Mark to join him. He'd decided to leave the two Carters to say goodbye in private while getting the car running already.

Mark waved at Sam who was still standing in the doorway before walking over to the driveway to get in the car. He wasn't looking forward to spending more time with Jack, especially not after making Sam cry. On the other hand, it meant that he could ask the man some more questions. Although he doubted he would actually get some straight answers, the man was being impossible. "I really don't mind getting a cab," he told him as he sat down in the passenger seat.

"It'll cost you a fortune," Jack replied as he drove out of the driveway.

"It's my money."

"Spend the money on your family instead," he retorted, keeping his eyes on the road. "Besides, Sam will be upset if you get a cab."

Mark rolled his eyes, knowing that there was no way he was getting out of this. "Fine," he sighed and leaned back in the comfortable seat. The SUV was everything he wanted in a car, but he and Laura simply didn't have enough money to buy a new car, not with two young teenagers and a mortgage. Instead, they had the same minivan they'd had for years. "I really didn't mean to upset Sam."

"I know," Jack answered, still not looking at the man next to him. It was obvious Mark had something to say, so he'd just let him say it. If there was one thing he'd learned over the years it was that a Carter always had something to say and they would say it, whether he wanted to hear it or not. "Like I said over the phone, she's fragile and she gets upset every now and then."

He nodded as he looked at the profile of the older man. "You really care about her, don't you?"

"Yeah sure you betcha," Jack glanced at him quickly, before looking back at the road, making sure to signal before changing lanes. "Why do you find that hard to believe?"

"I don't, not really," Mark admitted. Sam was a very lovable person, after all. "I just didn't expect it…."

"Oh?"

He rolled his eyes in exasperation. This conversation wasn't going the way he'd planned. "It's just that Sam and Pete… they were happy together, getting married, ready to have a family. Then all of a sudden, Dad dies and Sam breaks off the engagement and a few weeks later I hear she's married someone else!"

Jack flinched at his words, but he could see from the corner of his eyes that Mark was staring out the window, not looking at him at all. "Yeah well, apparently not so happy then, huh?"

Mark huffed slightly. "I don't know how well you know my sister, Jack, but she likes to think. A lot."

"You're telling me," he muttered under his breath. He loved that about Sam, he really did but sometimes even she took it too far.

He turned towards Jack. "Did you know it took her two weeks to accept Pete's proposal?"

"Yep," Jack said.

"Then maybe you can understand that I find it hard to believe that she'd go off and marry someone within a few weeks after dumping Pete."

He shrugged.

"Oh come on, Jack," Mark tried again.

"What do you want from me, Mark?" He glared at him. "I know all about Shanahan and just for your information, Jacob didn't like him," Jack couldn't help but say. The man and his insistence about his friend were driving him crazy. "And the fact that it took Carter two freaking weeks to accept his proposal speaks for itself, doesn't it?"

He was about to reply when he realized that maybe Jack had a point there. He'd simply assumed Sam was being Sam when Pete had told him he was going to propose and then called to say that she needed time to think about it. He'd reassured his friend that he should have expected that from her, she never did anything spontaneous and always had to think about everything she did. She'd been faster when accepting Hansen's proposal, but Mark was pretty sure that was because their Dad had been in the restaurant with them –  _great_  family dinner – when he had and Sam knew that Dad didn't approve of him. "Wait," he remembered something else, "you called her 'Carter' before, when she was crying."

"Habit."

"Already?"

Jack looked at him, raising a brow. "It's a military thing."

"So you do know each other from the military?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"I didn't know," Mark shrugged. "I didn't know a lot about you except your name and that George knew you. You only told me you were in the AF when I got here this afternoon. You were at Dad's funeral so I thought perhaps you knew Dad and that's how you and Sam met."

"Nope, other way around."

"You met Dad through Sam?"

Hearing the disbelief in his voice, Jack glanced at him. "Yes, we met in DC a few years ago."

"You and Sam?" Mark's brow creased; he hadn't expected them to know each other a few years.

"Me and Dad, when Sam and I were in DC for a medal award ceremony."

He gaped at him. "You and Sam have known each other for a few years?"

"About nine years," Jack informed him, smiling smugly while his eyes were on the road. He was pretty sure Mark hadn't expected that.

"I had no idea."

"I figured."

"So, what?" Mark looked at him curiously. "You were just friends until you met again last year and all of a sudden there was a spark?"

"Ah, no," he replied, shifting on his seat.

His curiosity piqued, he cocked his head to the side. "What is that supposed to mean? You'd been involved before?" He couldn't remember Sam ever mentioning someone named Jack before. Then again, she didn't talk a lot about her personal life.

"Not exactly."

"Just tell me and I'll stop asking," Mark replied, knowing how annoying he could be once he got his teeth into something.

"Fine," Jack scowled at him. "We met nine years ago when we were both assigned to NORAD-"

"But nothing happened until now?"

Jack rolled his eyes at his impatience as well as the incredulous tone of voice. "Sam was assigned as my 2iC."

"Oh," Mark nodded slowly. There were rules against that sort of thing, right? "So you couldn't ask her out?"

"No," he admitted, feeling awkward with the turn of events. He hadn't really expected the conversation to turn into an interrogation about him and Sam. Why had he offered to drive him to the airport, again?

"So what, eventually you were reassigned and met up last year?"

"Ah no," Jack shook his head. "She was my 2IC."

"Yes, but after that."

Jack squirmed in his seat as he cast an annoyed look at Mark. "No, for eight years."

"Oh!" Mark exclaimed, finally understanding. Well, at least part of it, anyway. He still wasn't sure where Pete fit in to all of this and why Sam had decided to marry Jack all of a sudden or-

"We're here, get out," Jack said gruffly as he pulled up to the side. "It was good meeting you Mark, have a safe trip. Say hi to your family!"

"Wait," he tried, but seeing the man's raised eyebrow and blank face he knew their conversation was over. "Fine, whatever. Just take care of Sam for me, okay? And keep me posted!"

"Will do," Jack replied as he leaned forward and pulled Mark's door closed in front of him, before honking and driving off.


	18. Staking A Claim

Jack quickly ran up the stairs, wondering if perhaps Sam was getting dressed. They had to leave in an hour and a half, which was a good thing considering he was getting hungry and there was supposed to be a banquet. He wondered if they'd have cake, surely Hayes must know of his love for cake? "Sam, are you in here?" Hearing a frustrated cry, Jack cautiously walked into the bedroom. "Need some help with that?"

"Please," Sam sighed, giving up the struggle with the zipper on her back. "I'm not sure if it still fits," she admitted. She'd been struggling with the dark blue dress – mostly the zipper – for the last ten minutes.

"I doubt that," Jack snorted as he reached for the slider. He used one hand to pull her hair to one side, exposing her neck and shoulders. His fingers briefly brushed the silky skin of her back before he got hold of the zipper with one hand and the slider with the other, making sure not to get her strapless bra trapped in between.

A shiver ran up and down her spine when Jack's rough fingers touched her skin and she felt his breath on the back of her neck. "It's rather tight," she complained once he zipped her up. The long dress hugged her upper body intimately, showing every curve and rather ample cleavage.

"You look beautiful," he complimented her, letting his eyes roam her tall frame and the way the dress accentuated her curves. She had lost a lot of weight when they first brought her in but now that she was eating properly she was slowly gaining a bit more, but she was still skinny. Not scarily underweight anymore, but she didn't have her old body back either. Watching her check out her body, he momentarily feared if she was going to ask him if her butt looked big in it or something like that. He knew it were trick questions, but with Sara he'd never been able to give a good answer.

Sam glanced at him via the mirror. "You don't think it's a bit… revealing?"

Her hands drew his attention to her décolletage – not that he hadn't seen it yet, but he didn't want to get caught lingering too long. "Well," he figured he had permission to leer now, so he kept looking as he tried to think of an answer. "Perhaps the, ah… neckline is a bit lower than what you usually wear," Jack stammered slightly as he shifted his eyes to look at her frowning face. He definitely didn't mind the view, although he had to admit that it was a bit daring for her. But she usually didn't wear her evening dresses a lot, so he wasn't sure what her other dresses looked like.

"I feel like they'll fall out if I move too much," she remarked, emphasizing her words by moving her upper body.

Jack awkwardly cleared his throat and stepped aside from temptation. "You're wearing a bra, right?"

"Yeah," Sam shrugged, "but it's a strapless one so it won't do any wonders. I'm not going to wear this."

"Then what?" he asked, gesturing towards the closet. "I thought you said you didn't have that many dresses here and we don't have a lot of time."

"I know," she sighed. "Oh crap, I can't even breathe in this," she reached behind her to unzip the dress and after two attempts the dress fell open and she could shrug it off. "I already tried that one," she motioned towards the discarded dress draped over a chair, "but it felt like my breasts were squashed in it."

"Oh?" Jack had no idea how he was supposed to react to that. "Are you sure the blue one isn't good enough?"

"Not if you want me to keep breathing," Sam replied, rolling her eyes. "Besides, I wouldn't feel comfortable talking to the President or anyone else for that matter with that… that neckline."

Jack nodded and walked into the closet, Sam following on his heels. Suddenly he realized he didn't want anyone else having the opportunity to look down her… dress. "You're right, it's not a good choice," for a minute he wondered why she'd bought the dress in the first place but decided he didn't want to ponder the possible reasons.

Sam put the dress back in its spot in the walk-in closet and pulled on the cups of the bra as she looked around for something else to wear. "Janet said it could be due to the pill."

"Huh what?" he asked as he pulled out a black halter dress with little red… things around the neckline – he assumed they were supposed to be little roses. "What about this one?"

She took the dress from him and held it in front of her. "No," Sam shook her head and handed it back to him.

"Why not, what's wrong with it?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, it just feels… wrong, I guess that's why it was thrown in the back of the closet."

"Okay," Jack drawled, looking around. "We only have a little less than an hour," he continued as he glanced at his watch, "you find something to wear, I'll be in the bathroom." He had already showered this morning after his jog, but he knew his five o'clock shade was showing. A shower, a shave and his dress blues and he was good to go. "What about that one?" He pointed at something dress-like when he was almost out of the closet.

"I already tried that one," Sam sighed. "Janet said being on the pill again could be why my breasts are tender and I think they're bigger too because that dress was very uncomfortable," she mumbled more to herself than anyone else. And her bra wasn't very comfortable either!

He cleared his throat awkwardly and closed his eyes, willing himself to calm down, not look at her and count to ten. "Right, bathroom," he muttered before making a hasty retreat. Why did she have to tell him that? Didn't she know that standing there in that skimpy thong and nude colored bra was already affecting his self-control? Jack quickly shed his clothes and threw them in the hamper as soon as he closed the bathroom door behind him. Grabbing his toothbrush and –paste he turned on the shower and stepped under the warm water, brushing his teeth. He spat out the toothpaste when he was done and threw the toothbrush over the see-through wall of the shower aiming for the sink. His hair was already wet and he hadn't used shampoo this morning, so he got the bottle and massaged his scalp with the minty substance before grabbing his shower gel and lathering his body with it. Once done, he rinsed his hair and body and turned off the water.

Reaching out he grabbed one of the fluffy towels and dried his face before wrapping it around his waist. With a swift motion of his hand he cleaned the steamed over mirror and got his razor and shaving gel. Years of experience made short work of the light stubbles and it didn't take Jack long to finish and clean his face of the remainder of foam. He quickly toweled down before remembering he hadn't brought clean clothes with him. With a sigh, he slowly opened the door and walked into the bedroom. A chill ran up his spine while his body adjusted to the difference in temperatures between the two rooms and he briefly wondered where Sam was as he walked into the closet to grab a clean pair of boxers to don his dress blues. "What'cha doing?"

Sam looked up from her hunched over position on the chair in the corner of the walk-in closet and smiled at him. "I'm almost done, just putting on my shoes."

Jack cocked his head to the side, but he couldn't really see much of her except her long hair falling over her face and the strappy heels she was putting on her feet. "Okay, well, I just have to get my clothes," he commented dryly. "I take it this means you finally found a dress?"

"Not exactly," she replied as she stood and swirled around to show him her outfit.

"Wow," Jack mumbled, his eyes roaming her black-clad figure.

Sam smirked and looked at him. "What do you think? It's a jumpsuit."

"You look hot," he replied, holding the boxers in one hand. The slightly flaring pants made her legs look impossibly long because the black fabric continued on to her waistline and the plunging v-neckline showed just the hint of cleavage, while the back fell open and showed her creamy skin. Her slightly wavy hair just fell over her shoulders and he was once again awed by her beauty. The jumpsuit showed off her curves, even if her hips were still a bit pointy and bony lacking their usual Carter-curve. The heels she'd put on added about three inches, making her almost as tall as he was.

Her cheeks burned up under his appreciative onceover – or moreover – and she mumbled a "Thank you" before making her way out of the closet. "I'll put on the last of my makeup."

"Okay," Jack replied after clearing his throat, watching her leave. Damn, her back was tantalizing. Not to mention how good her six looked in that outfit. The towel around his waist was already becoming uncomfortable and he quickly shed it to step into his boxers. He tried thinking of less pleasurable things than his wife and her delicious body, because there was no way he was going to get his dress blues on with his erection. Sighing, Jack reached for one of the hangers and started by dressing his upper body.

* * *

Jack suppressed a yawn as he listened to President Hayes' speech. The man had been going on and on about the reason for today's event – he'd zoned out the moment Hayes started talking – and, by the sound of it, was working his way up to announcing Sam's recovery. He nudged Daniel and Teal'c as he handed them their respective drinks and took a swig of his own beer. It had been a surprise to see his former teammates when he and Sam had arrived, but they'd claimed they wanted to support and be there for Sam. Jack assumed that meant they had already planned to attend her memorial service that was supposed to be held today and apparently hadn't filled the day with other activities. But perhaps he shouldn't be so pessimistic and just enjoy their company. Doc Fraiser had been unable to make it due to an emergency at the SGC, something about Coombs and Felger blowing up one of the labs.

"Jack," Daniel hissed, poking the other man in his ribs.

He scowled at him. "What?"

"Stop yawning and displaying your boredom," he scolded.

Jack rolled his eyes at him and caught Teal'c's annoyed raised eyebrow at the both of them. "My brain needed oxygen, Space Monkey," he whispered petulantly. "If I was bored or tired, I wouldn't simply yawn, I would pandiculate."

Daniel frowned at him. "Pandicu- Oh right. Just pay attention, I think he's going to call Sam in a few."

Like he didn't already know that. At least he got to confuse Danny Boy for a moment, ha!  _He's not the only one who can use fancy words_ , Jack thought smugly. Craning his neck, he tried to catch a glimpse of his blond wife, but he couldn't see her; she was probably backstage waiting to step up. He was still annoyed that he wasn't allowed to stay with her, but apparently the President was afraid that would be inappropriate. As if everyone involved in the program wasn't going to know they had been married for almost a year by the end of the evening, because he sure as hell wasn't going to let her walk around here alone with all those… vultures waiting to pounce on her and interrogate her!

Hayes had already told him he wanted to talk to him later in his office, probably about those reports Jack didn't read as he had expected. At least now that Daniel and Teal'c were here they could keep an eye on Sam when he was called away. He knew retired Lieutenant General George Hammond was around here somewhere as well, as he'd been there the moment they stepped inside the East Room of the White House.

"… and instead of mourning the loss of one of our nation's finest soldiers and scientists today, we are celebrating the recovery of Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, PhD. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, civilians and soldiers, scientists and politicians I am overjoyed to welcome Colonel Carter back in our midst, safe and sound."

Jack squinted as she joined the President on stage; he could see her nervousness and flushed cheeks from where he was standing, obviously embarrassed with all the attention now that every eye in the room was focused on her and everyone was clapping while she was standing at attention. "Oh for crying out loud," he muttered under his breath as Hayes waved her down and she gave a shy smile, glancing around the room.

"Jack!"

"Oh, c'mon Daniel," he whined, gesturing towards the stage. "You know she doesn't like to be the center of attention and without her memories and everyone staring at her it must be really awkward," he once again cursed the President in silence.

"Don't you think you're overreacting?" Daniel asked as he looked back to his friend, standing at ease at the stage while the President told the crowd about her highly classified and very important work – in other words, he talked a lot but didn't really say anything of significance.

Teal'c turned towards the two Tau'ri and raised his brow. "O'Neill is correct; Colonel Carter is most uncomfortable, Daniel Jackson."

"Oh," he mumbled, glancing at the stage. "Well, looks like it's over now."

Jack nodded as he watched the crowd disperse to get drinks or talk amongst themselves. He was about to step forward to meet up with Sam, when he noticed Hayes leading her backstage.

"Jack," George Hammond greeted his former 2IC. "Don't worry, Sam will be right back," he chuckled slightly as he watched the younger man relax at his words. "Henry wanted to talk to her for a minute in private."

"Of course he did."

George moved to the other two men and greeted them, smiling. "Teal'c, Doctor Jackson, I'm glad you two could make it as well. I was hoping to see you after I missed you at the entrance."

"I am pleased to see you once again, General Hammond," Teal'c bowed his head slightly.

"Me too," Daniel piped up. "How is retirement working out for you, Sir?"

Holding up his glass of scotch in a silent toast, George grinned. "I'm enjoying myself very much. My daughter and her children, Kayla and Tessa are staying with me while their house is being renovated. But please, call me George, I'm retired now."

"And living the good life, huh George?" Michael Ryan asked as he joined them.

"General Ryan, Sir," Jack greeted the former Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. He'd always liked the man. Not that he had anything against Jumper, although he was about to retire as well which meant Jack had to break in a new Chief of Staff, but he'd always silently admired General Ryan.

He slapped him on the back. "You're a general now Jack, call me Michael!"

"Technically you still outrank me, Sir," he replied.

"Nonsense son," George dismissed. "Michael and I are both retired."

"General," Daniel mentioned, surprised to see three faces turn to him. "Ah, Ryan, General Ryan," he clarified, "I think that General Jumper is trying to get your attention, Sir."

"Thank you, Dr. Jackson."

"General Ryan seems most jovial," Teal'c remarked as he watched the white-haired man walk away.

Jack clasped his shoulder. "He's a good man, T, he's probably happy to see Carter alive."

"Yes, he was quite charmed by her," George confirmed, remembering a couple of General Ryan's visits to the SGC.

"What?" Jack asked, squinting at Hammond. "I thought you said that Carter was giving some sort of lecture when he was visiting!" He clearly remembered that ridiculous mission where they had to babysit a couple of scientist that wouldn't listen on that moon, only to end up being chased by those little… energy beings.

"At the time, yes son," he nodded.

"Jack, General Ryan has visited the SGC on other occasions too," Daniel explained to his friend.

"Isn't there supposed to be a memo on that sort of thing?" He asked, slightly offended for being kept out of the loop while General Ryan had been visiting.

Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow. "There most certainly was, O'Neill."

"You really should read your memos," Daniel bobbed his head.

* * *

"Yes Sir," Sam nodded and gave him a small smile.

Henry grinned at her and patted her shoulder, giving it a small squeeze to get her attention as he stealthily pointed at Jack O'Neill. "I think your husband is anxious to have you by his side again. Just remember that you, or Jack, can call me if you need anything; from a specialist to," he thought for a minute, "whatever else you need. You just take the time and concentrate on getting better. Don't worry about the AF, you can come back after your medical leave if you want."

"Thank you, Mr. President."

"Don't mention it Colonel," he told her and beckoned his Chief of Staff over. "Stan, have you met Colonel Carter?"

"No, Mr. President, I haven't had the pleasure yet," Stan replied, nodding towards his boss before turning to the woman standing next to him. "It's an honor, Colonel Carter."

"Thank you, ah… Stan," Sam stammered a bit, giving both men a questioning look as she shook the man's hand.

"Stan is my Chief of Staff," Henry explained. "Stan, could you escort the Colonel to General O'Neill?"

"Of course, Mr. President," he gently took her elbow and led the way.

Sam breathed a sigh of relief as the dark-haired man with his mouse-like facial features expertly avoided the other guests until they reached Jack. "Thanks Stan."

"It was my pleasure, Ma'am," he smiled at her.

"Ah, Stan," Jack greeted the man with his immaculate suit and matching hairdo. They'd met several times here at the White House as he'd been having conferences with the President and the JCS, "thanks for bringing her over. I'm sure everyone wanted a piece of her."

"No problem, General. Gentlemen, I hope you'll all enjoy yourselves tonight," with that Stan went looking for his own wife.

Daniel grabbed a glass of water from one of the waiters and handed it to his friend. "Here Sam, I'm sure all that talking to the President left you thirsty," he joked."So, who was your new friend?"

"Stan is the President's Chief of Staff," Jack explained with a shrug as he let his hand rest on Sam's bare back and pulled her a bit closer to him. "A good man and an expert at avoiding annoying politicians."

"That he most certainly is," George chuckled, remembering all the times he'd seen him in action before retiring. "Well, people, I guess it's time to mingle," he remarked when Francis Maynard made his way over to them.

"Great," Jack groaned, rolling his eyes, unconsciously tightening his hold on his wife. "General Maynard," he plastered a smile on his face as the dark-skinned four-star approached them.

"Jack," Francis greeted him, "George. Doctor Jackson, Colonel Carter and Teal'c, I presume?"

"Indeed," Teal'c dipped his head slightly as he took in the other man.

"Francis Maynard," he introduced himself to the group but kept eye contact with the Colonel. He knew what had happened to her – well, as much as anyone knew that is – and that she was suffering from amnesia. "Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. It's good to have you back, Colonel."

"Thank you, Sir," she replied respectfully, straightening her posture despite Jack's hand slowly caressing the bare skin of her back – which was quite distracting as well as… pleasurable. He probably wasn't even aware of it, she thought as she glanced at her husband's handsome features.

"I'm sure I speak for everyone attending when I say that we weren't looking forward to having to give up hope on your safe return," Francis continued, feeling O'Neill's glare directed at him but trying to ignore the man as he usually did. He had great respect for the things the general had done in his past – especially since joining the Stargate Program – but he could be… difficult to deal with one a day-to-day basis and he'd learned that the hard way after having to declare the genius known as Colonel Carter MIA. "Ah, let me introduce you to the SecDef, Colonel Carter."

Jack turned around to see the short, dark-haired man walk up, smiling fondly, behind them. "Good to see you again, Sir."

"Likewise, General O'Neill," Arthur Simms replied, beaming like a kid on Christmas. He hadn't lied when he'd visited the SGC about six years ago; he was still amazed by all the things those brave soldiers did every day.

"I see you know each other," Francis commented as he took in the looks of recognition between the SecDef and the General. "Arthur Simms, the US Secretary of Defense," he gestured towards his friend, "Doctor Jackson, Teal'c-"

"Colonel Carter, I can't express my happiness to see you again!" Arthur interrupted him as he grabbed the Colonel's hand.

Taken a bit aback, Sam gave him a cautious smile. "Er… thank you, Sir."

"And of course, I'm happy to see you as well," he said bashfully as he nodded at Doctor Jackson and the Jaffa Teal'c. "Please excuse my enthusiasm, I'm just such an avid supporter of the Program and I was actually there when you were promoted to major… I eagerly awaited every word of every mission report stemming from the SGC and SG-1 in particular, Colonel Carter. I was quite upset to learn of your disappearance."

"We all were," George confirmed, clasping the man's shoulder. "Good to see you again, Arthur."

"You too, George."

"If you will all excuse me," Francis Maynard held up his glass of champagne. "I promised my wife I wouldn't be long," he muttered under his breath.

"We should go and mingle, Sir," Jack told the SecDef, who nodded in understanding, before leading Sam away from the crowd. "Sorry about that," he grimaced as he jerked his head back to where the small crowd was still standing.

"Not your fault," Sam said, smiling up at him. "Besides, we knew this was going to happen when the President ordered us to come here."

"True," he replied, guiding her to a quiet corner. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, still smiling. "Don't worry; I can handle it, Jack."

"I know," he sighed, placing his now-empty beer bottle on one of the tables to his right. "But I could see how uncomfortable you were up there," he gestured towards the stage.

"I'm fine," Sam reassured him, briefly squeezing the hand he had on her waist.

Jack gently took hold of her chin and lifted it upwards so she would look at him when he saw her hesitant stance. "What is it?"

"I was just wondering," she scrunched up her nose as she glanced over her shoulder. "Do you want to dance?"

"Oh, um… yeah, sure," he replied uncomfortably, following her gaze to the dance floor. He'd never been thrilled to go out and dance, but he figured he could make an exception if he was going to dance with Sam. Besides, he knew she liked to go dance and he'd rather have her dancing with him than someone else! "C'mon," he reached down, grabbed her hand and tugged her towards the floor.

Sam followed him, a silly grin on her face. She'd seen some of the guests dancing earlier, when Stan had taken her from one side of the room to the other and felt like dancing. Or, if she were honest, spending time in her husband's arms. Jack was looking very handsome tonight in his dress blues, his silver hair sticking up and those dark brown eyes warming up her heart whenever he looked at her. His calloused fingertips slowly caressing the skin of her back had set her body on fire and she was actually surprised that no one seemed to notice the effect he was having on her. Or perhaps everyone was already used to seeing them together? She wasn't sure, all she knew was that she wanted to be held by Jack. She kept her eyes on his back, trying to evade all the questioning faces around her and avoid any interruptions by them. "This is great," she murmured as Jack's arms closed around her and she let her head rest on his shoulder.

Jack simply smirked, nuzzling her hair in a way that, he hoped, wasn't too obvious. Not that he really cared, but he instinctively knew that Sam would feel awkward if everyone would be staring at them because they weren't used to see badass General Jack O'Neill dance with his former 2IC – who was, despite her medical leave, still in the same chain of command – especially not this close.  _Or,_ he thought _, if everyone would be staring even more at us, her, whatever._  It was obvious everyone was curious about the real story about her abduction, despite the President emphasizing that her work and the circumstances that led to her missing for months were highly classified.

His eyes scanned the room for familiar faces, which were a lot now that he was working in Washington DC as the head of Homeworld Security. His fingers of one hand were tracing invisible patterns on Sam's lower back – she was a good dancer and didn't need the guidance so why not indulge himself? – while the other held one of her hands. He reveled in the simple gesture – holding hands – something that had been off-limits for them for so long and now he could do it in public whenever he wanted. Jack grimaced when he noticed the now-Brigadier General Kennedy from across the room. He still found it hard to believe that the bastard had been promoted after wanting to take Kawalsky and Teal'c with him to Langley to study them and their symbiotes. Then again, he was replaced with Maybourne, so maybe he shouldn't be so surprised.

"Jack, who is that lieutenant colonel with that slicked-back hair that is staring at us?"

Slowly turning them, Jack found himself staring at the face of a rather annoyed looking Lt. Colonel Bert Samuels. "Oh, no one important," he told Sam, dipping his head to press a kiss on the few freckles on her shoulder peeking out from under the strap of her jumpsuit. "I wonder why he is even invited after his cowardly behavior at the SGC," he mumbled, more to himself than her. When the music stopped, he sighed and slowly took a step back from her warm body. "You think we should go say hi to some folks?"

"Like who?" Sam asked cautiously as she let him pull her off the floor.

"Colonel Masiello over there," he jerked his head in the direction of the grey-haired full bird Colonel standing to their left. "He is the commander of Area 51." He glanced to the side to see Samuel's still keeping an eye on him. "Sparky," he winked. Not waiting for Sam, Jack started walking in the colonel's direction.

"Oh okay," she nodded and followed Jack as he made his way over to the man. He looked to be around his fifties, but that could be due to his graying hair, Sam assumed. He had a kind, almost wrinkle-less face and it lit up when they walked up to him.

"Colonel Carter!" Thomas Masiello grinned as he looked at the healthy face of the attractive woman who'd been under his command almost a year ago. "I'd been told you were back, but," he sighed and gave her a quick onceover, "I just couldn't believe it!"

"Sam," Jack squeezed her hand to get his attention. "This is Colonel Thomas Masiello."

"Oh yes, of course, I'm sorry," he blushed. "I forgo-ah," Thomas stammered, trying to find the right words without insulting her.

"It's okay, Sir," Sam smiled at him. "I'm getting used to it."

"Still," he muttered, throwing an apologetic glance at the General she was married to. "Colonel, this is Doctor Murphy; you've worked together in the past," he gestured towards the man standing next to him. "Larry," he hissed.

Turning around, Larry Murphy looked at them. "Colonel Carter! How are you?"

"Doing better, thank you Dr. Murphy," she replied.

"I spoke to Dr. Harlow the other day and informed him of your safe return. He was very happy to hear that and said he'd contact you later," Larry continued. Seeing her confused look, he quickly elaborated. "Ah, he's working at the Pentagon. You used to work with him when you were still stationed there. He told me you worked on saving Teal'c from ah," he glanced around, making sure no one was eavesdropping before whispering "metamorphosis."

"Ah, I see," Sam mumbled, glancing at Jack for she had no idea what the man was talking about.

"Oh yeah, I remember," he nodded.

"General O'Neill."

Jack turned to his side to see who the voice belonged to. "Major Gibson, good to see you again," he smirked at the petite brunette. "Let me introduce you to Colonel Samantha Carter."

"Honored, Ma'am," Eileen saluted the higher ranking woman standing next to him.

"At ease, Major," Jack waved her down. "Haven't seen you around the Pentagon lately."

"No Sir," she smiled at him. He was such a nice man, and handsome too! Not to mention loyal to the AF and especially the SGC. She liked working with him, as a liaison between the Pentagon and the SGC. "I've been busy with the IOA and the SGC, Sir."

"Ah, yes, I thought I saw Fisher just now," he replied, glancing around the room until he found the good old Senator. "Ah, there he is. No, don't look or smile," he told Sam when she turned around.

"Oh, we don't like him?" She whispered conspiratorially in his ear.

Jack smirked at her, shaking his head. "Excuse us," he told the others as he made his way over to where he saw Teal'c standing. "We don't like politicians, period," he told Sam, who giggled at him. "Ah, John," he greeted the man as they passed him.

"General O'Neill," John Prior nodded, "Colonel Carter."

"Love the bunting," Jack gestured around the room, "and the buffet was quite good too. Good job, John!"

"Thank you, Sir," he replied dryly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He was pretty sure the man was being sarcastic. Ever since his visit to the SGC in advance of the President's visit O'Neill had been making fun of him whenever they ran into each other; in the Pentagon or the White House. It usually was something about the bunting or lack of proper food – cake, he thought the general complained about the most.

Sam tugged on Jack's hand and waited for him to look at her. "Why don't we get something to drink before heading over to Teal'c and Daniel?"

"Okay," Jack followed her towards the bar, glaring at everyone who tried to take a step closer to her. "I'll have a Guinness," he told the bartender.

"A diet coke, please," Sam ordered as she leaned against Jack.

"Getting tired, Carter?" He asked, concerned she was overdoing it.

She shook her head and nuzzled his neck. "No, just enjoying the company," she murmured against his skin.

Jack closed his eyes briefly, enjoying the company – her touch – as much as she was. "Sam," he mumbled as he gently pushed her away, remembering where they were. That was just the kind of attention they didn't need! Besides, this wasn't exactly helping him give her time to remember. "Let's not get unwanted attention, huh?"

"You're right," she admitted, ducking her head. It just felt so good! Her body had been alert ever since they'd gone out on the dance floor and then when he'd kissed her shoulder, she was afraid she'd explode right there! Her heart had been pounding and the longer he'd been standing next to her, the dryer her mouth had gotten. "Thanks," she accepted their drinks from the bartender and handed Jack his beer before taking a big gulp of her own.

"Sam," he drawled out, his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it," he'd seen the flush creep up her neck and knew she felt awkward about what she'd done. As if he'd mind if they were anywhere but here!

"General O'Neill!"

Rolling his eyes, Jack slowly turned around to see who wanted his attention this time. It was really getting old now. "Mister Gilmore!"

"I didn't think you'd be here, Sir."

"Sam, this is Mark Gilmore; he used to work as an analyst for the CIA and was sent by the President to evaluate me when I got command of the SGC. Mister Gilmore, Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter."

Mark nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I remember. You were leading SG-1 on a recon mission to Anubis' base while Ba'al claimed to be holding your team and-"

"Shh," Jack admonished him, making a show of glancing around. "Not everyone has clearance, ya know."

"Sorry Sir," he immediately apologized. "I'm glad you're back, Colonel."

"Me too," Sam replied, smiling. Her jaw was beginning to hurt from all the polite smiles she'd been giving all night, but the man seemed to be so… enthusiastic to see Jack again that she couldn't help but smile again.

"The President asked me to come over and tell you he wanted to have a word with you, Sir. He said you'd know what it was about." Mark was honestly surprised to see the general here, knowing that he usually didn't attend these events, especially not when having to wear his dress blues. Then again, he couldn't remember him and Colonel Carter being this close when he'd visited the SGC over a year ago.

"Ah yes," Jack dragged a hand through his hair. "We were just on our way over to Teal'c when we detoured to get something to drink."

"That's okay, Sir, the President is already talking to Mr. Teal'c and Dr. Jackson."

"Oh, great," he replied. "Lead the way, Gilmore."

"Yes Sir!"

Sam suppressed a yawn and followed the two men. All the chitchat, smiling and thinking was taking its toll and all she wanted to do was crawl into bed right now. She hadn't imagined that it would be so tiring. Then again, she hadn't been doing a lot the last few weeks so it wasn't that strange that she was tiring from simply walking around the room. Not to mention that her mind kept trying to connect names and faces with memories, even while she  _knew_  it was pretty much senseless.

"Mark, Jack, Colonel Carter," Henry greeted them as they walked up.

"Mr. President," Jack replied.

"Sir," Sam said. "Guys," she glanced at Teal'c and Daniel.

"This is my wife, Michelle," Henry continued, mostly for the colonel. "And one of our friends, Bonnie Arbuthnot. She's a development director in Chicago and she and Michelle have known each other since college."

Jack simply nodded, shaking the hands of both women. He had no idea why the President was telling him this, but he was probably just being polite since he was the one organizing the event. "Nice to meet you, Ms. Arbuthnot."

"Mrs. Hayes, Ms. Arbuthnot," Sam greeted them with another one of her polite smiles.

"Jack, why don't we go to my office? I'm sure Colonel Carter won't mind."

Sam shrugged and looked at Jack. She didn't really need him to hold her hand through all this, although it was nice. "Sure, I can stay here with Daniel and Teal'c."

"Indeed O'Neill, it would be my honor to chaperone Colonel Carter in your absence," Teal'c chimed in.

"Yeah, don't worry about it Jack."

"Okay, I won't be long," he replied before following President Hayes out of the room.

Sam looked around for a familiar face while the two women said their goodbyes as well and left to mingle with other guests. "Where's General Hammond?"

"Ah, I think he went over to Colonel Reynolds," Daniel told her, glancing over his shoulder. "Right, there they are. Maybe we should join them?"

Teal'c bowed his head and offered his arm to Colonel Carter. "Indeed, Colonel Reynolds has expressed an interest in conversing with you, Colonel Carter."

* * *

"Mr. President, General O'Neill," Richard Woolsey greeted them the moment they stepped into the East Room again.

"Richard," Henry Hayes said jovially, clasping the man's shoulder. "We were just on our way to look for you and the other members of the IOA."

"Woolsey," Jack mumbled as a greeting. He didn't know what Hayes was talking about, because he sure as hell wasn't interested in talking to those people. His eyes were already scanning the room for Sam or Teal'c, considering he would probably stand out most.

"Well, then, this is a perfect opportunity, Sir, because the British Ambassador was just asking for you," Richard continued, walking in the direction of which he came.

"Ah yes, I was planning on meeting him later tonight."

Jack almost huffed; Hayes had just told him he was glad to be avoiding the ambassadors. "What's the ambassador doing here?"

Richard frowned and looked at the general. "He was  _invited_ , General."

He shrugged casually. "Doesn't mean he has to show up," he quipped. He himself sure as hell never went to any of these events no matter how many invitations he got – unless he was ordered, of course.

"Russel Chapman is on hiatus, therefore the Ambassador was kind enough to take his place."

"Really?" Jack said sarcastically. He had absolutely no respect for the ambassador. Not after the way the ambassador was willing to back up Kinsey and have the SGC be placed under the control of the NID. "Well, I was actually looking forward to meeting Chapman. I guess that I should go see what Carter and Daniel are up to," he said by a way of excusing himself.

"Jack, not so fast; I'm sure the other members of the IOA want to see you too."

"That's right, General," Richard confirmed. "Shen Xiaoyi went over to talk to Dr. Jackson but the French representative is still here. I believe Mr. Coolidge and Special Agent Bates were hoping to talk to you, as well."

"Of course they do," he muttered under his breath, rolling his eyes exasperated. He'd already caught a glimpse of blond hair from that direction, so maybe it meant that Sam was also there? Although he was hoping the IOA hadn't jumped her the moment he'd left the room.  _Nah, Teal'c would never allow it_.

"Mr. President, General O'Neill," James Coolidge smiled at them.

Jack gave the US representative a fake smile and shook his hand. "Ah, Sergeant Bates, good to see you up and running again."

"Sirs," Dean Bates immediately saluted, despite the fact that he was honorably discharged after the injuries he sustained on Atlantis.

"Mr. La Pierre," Henry grinned and shook the Frenchman's hand. "Have you met General O'Neill already?"

"Non," Jean La Pierre shook his head, before extending a hand to the general. "My pleasure."

"Back at'cha," Jack smirked. "Enjoying ourselves are we, gentlemen?"

"Very much, General O'Neill."

 _Ah, crap_. He turned around. "Senator Fisher, I had no idea you were here as well," otherwise he would have made sure to avoid this side of the room.

"Of course, as Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee I feel it is my duty to be here," he smirked, giving the general a firm handshake. "I had no doubt you would be here, not after hearing about Colonel Carter."

"Yeah, well," Jack shrugged, not knowing what else to say. He really couldn't stand the man, not after trying to redirect the funding for the Stargate Program. Fisher looked just as sneaky as he turned out to be, Jack decided.

"Doctors McCormack and Williams were hoping to catch a glimpse of the fair Colonel, but unfortunately they had to leave before they got the chance. Would you be so kind to ask Colonel Carter if she wants to contact the doctors?"

"Perhaps," he said noncommittally.

Richard felt it necessary to remind the general that both doctors were members of the IOA. "But General O'Neill-"

"After she's back from her medical leave."

"Ah yes, about that-"

"Sorry, it's classified," Jack quipped, not feeling the slightest bit of regret at seeing both their faces fall. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hayes excuse himself and quickly walk away.

"I see," Bruce Fisher responded. "In that case, general, let me introduce you to one of my colleagues. Perhaps you've heard of him? His name is Dick Kozak," he continued as he steered the general towards his old friend.

Jack knew that name sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it until he was face-to-face with the good Senator and his wife. "Sara," he uttered, slightly shocked. Perhaps it had been her blond hair he'd seen from afar, as she'd been crowded with all kinds of politians.

"Jack," she stared at him for a minute. "Ah, I'm sorry. Do you remember my husband, Dick Kozak?"

"Vaguely," he replied, glancing at the man. Oh yeah, they'd met when he and Daniel had been informed about Sam's memorial service by the President and the JCS.

"General O'Neill," Dick shook the man's hand and tried not to show how uncomfortable he was with this turn of events. He and Sara had been late tonight and had only arrived about an hour ago. From the moment he'd set foot inside, several of his colleagues had stopped them to talk and he hadn't had the time to look around. He certainly hadn't been prepared to meet Sara's ex again.

Bruce Fisher glanced from one to the other. "You all know each other?"

"Ah," Sara glanced at him, "Jack was my first husband, Bruce. We divorced over ten years ago."

"I had no idea."

Jack glared at the Senator, wondering if he really was as innocent as he pretended to be. "Yeah, well, it was a long time ago."

Sara looked him up and down and was surprised to see how good he looked. Not that he hadn't always been good looking, but the last time she'd seen him he'd looked much older and exhausted. Yet here he was, looking at least ten years younger than she knew he was. In a way she envied him for looking so good after turning fifty a few years ago. Perhaps it had something to do with his wife? His friend, Daniel Jackson had told her and Dick a few weeks ago that Jack's new wife had gone missing and from what she'd overheard of their conversation it sounded like they were declaring her KIA.

She'd tried to keep an eye on the news, but in the shock of the moment she'd forgotten the woman's name and nothing had turned up on the name 'O'Neill.' Not to mention that she didn't even know what rank the woman had. She'd hoped that the memorial service would give him some peace and apparently it had. Just last week Sara had thought about how Jack would be doing with the holidays coming up. For a moment she'd thought about asking Dick if maybe he knew anything considering his work, but she'd decided against it after remembering his reaction after meeting Jack for the first time. He'd asked her about why she hadn't told him that he was  _the_ General O'Neill; she'd explained that she didn't know. He'd also asked her if she still had feelings for him because of her reaction to hearing about his wife. She hadn't been able to deny it, but it was only natural, right? They'd been married for years, had a son together… lost their son together. They'd shared so many things, how could she not still care about him? Granted, Jack wasn't the man she'd married anymore, but he'd gradually changed over the years – probably due to his secretive work and the things he'd gone through for his country – and she still loved him. Losing Charlie had simply been too much and they hadn't been able to cope.

"… yeah, so I should go," Jack excused himself and turned to leave. He really hated politicians and especially members of the IOA or the SAC, but what had really shaken him was seeing Sara again. He hadn't expected her or her husband to be here and to be honest, he'd already forgotten about that meeting a few weeks ago. Sam had been the only thing on his mind for months – well, years if he was truly honest with himself – and the rest simply hadn't mattered.

Sara startled from her thoughts by his announcement and looked up. Her husband and Bruce Fisher were already talking to some other people and Jack was walking away. Before she could think, she followed him and reached for his arm. "Wait Jack."

"What is it, Sara?" he asked, his voice a bit rougher than he intended. "Sorry, long day."

"That's okay," she smiled at him, "I know politicians were never your favorite kind of people."

"Kids and dogs," he quipped, returning her smile.

She nodded slowly. "You look good, Jack."

His eyebrows rose and he looked at her with a blank face. "Ah," he stammered, wondering what the hell was going on. "Must be the lighting."

"Only you would say such a thing, Jack O'Neill," she snorted, shaking her head. "No, I mean it. You look much better than you did a couple of weeks ago…"

"Gee, thanks," he replied uncomfortably, feeling awkward. "You look great too, glad to see you've gotten yourself a good husband. Even if he's a politician."

Sara chuckled, patting his arm. "Not  _all_  politicians are bad, Jack. You should know that now that you're working in here in Washington."

"I know  _because_  I work here."

* * *

"You know, Teal'c, you're a great dancer," Sam complimented him as they stepped away from the dance floor. She'd been surprised when her alien friend had asked her to dance with him, but he'd explained that he knew she loved to dance and had seen her dance with Jack earlier in the evening. Well, not in so many words but still.

"As are you, Colonel Carter," he dipped his head, a smile hinting at the corners of his mouth. "Cassandra Fraiser was given lessons for what she called her 'Senior Prom' and after ceasing her arrangement with her companion she asked me to help her complete her training."

"Cassandra Fra- Janet's daughter?" Sam asked, frowning. No one had told her anything about Janet having a child, one who apparently already graduated high school.

"Indeed."

Sam stored the information away for further investigation – when she wasn't so tired. "Where are Daniel and General Hammond?" She was finally getting used to calling her Uncle George by his rank, which was a good thing in public considering not many people had been aware of their relationship when he was the base commander of the SGC – or so he had told her before she and Teal'c went dancing.

"Daniel Jackson was engaged in conversation with the Chinese representative of the International Oversight Advisory at the time of our change of scenery. General Hammond was preoccupied with the First Lady and President Hayes."

"Oh, the President is back already? I haven't seen Jack yet," Sam craned her neck to look for him, but the place was still full with people and there were a lot of dress blues around. She didn't recognize his silver hair either, despite it being very distinguishable from the gray and brown hair of most men present.

"I believe O'Neill was conversing with Richard Woolsey," Teal'c replied as he scanned the room for the form of his friend. His height gave him a definite advantage and it did not take him long to find him.

Sam was watching him and, seeing his raised eyebrow assumed he'd found Jack. "Do you see him?"

"Indeed."

She grabbed his elbow and strode confidently next to him on her way to her husband. Janet had been right about her still tiring easy and right now Sam just wanted Jack to take her home. The dancing had been good, but it also took the last of her energy although she was sure that hadn't been Teal'c's intention. He was very protective of her, which she found endearing, and knew that if she'd told him – or given any outward sign of exhaustion – he would have taken her to a nearby chair or something. She'd noticed, however, that as time passed the intent stares from the guests were passing as well. No longer was she the center of attention which suited her just fine. It didn't take her long to spot Jack's back as they crossed the mass of people and she instantly felt her heart speed up. He hadn't noticed her yet, otherwise he would've turned or at least glanced over his shoulder – that much she'd learned in the days she'd spent with him – but that was because he was engrossed in conversation with someone she couldn't see; his body obstructed her view.

"O'Neill," Teal'c intoned as they stepped in hearing distance.

Jack glanced over his shoulder, mumbling an apology to Sara. "Hey T," he greeted him, his smile growing wider as he noticed Sam behind Teal'c.

Sara had stopped talking the moment Jack had turned around, knowing that he wasn't listening anymore after his apology for the interruption – she was actually surprised he'd apologized for that, because he'd never done that before – and looked around her ex-husband's frame to see a large, intimidating black man walking up to him. She wondered if he was one of his AF buddies, although the man looked bulkier than any airman or marine she'd seen. Before the interruption she'd gingerly steered the conversation towards their last meeting and had just been telling Jack that his friend had told her and Dick about his wife.

"Jack," Sam sighed, walking up to him as she let go of her grip on Teal'c's arm.

Sara watched in bemusement as Jack grinned wide and reached out his arm to the blonde that appeared from behind the large man who Jack had called 'T.' She gasped soundlessly when the woman grabbed his hand for Jack to pull her against him and snuggled up to his chest.

Sam beamed at Jack, giving him her megawatt smile as she looked at the person he'd been talking to. A woman about her height, dressed in a modest floor length green dress, her dark blond hair a bit frizzy and almost reaching her shoulders, who was a couple of years younger than Jack, probably in her late forties. Sam felt an immediate pang of irrational jealousy when she saw the woman's hand on Jack's arm. Wrapping her own arm around his waist, Sam snuggled up closer relishing his warmth and the comfortable feeling he gave her.

Jack pulled Sam closer, one arm around her back and his other hand coming up to rub her bare arm. Her skin was cold and despite her megawatt smile he could tell she was tired. "Tired?"

"Yeah," she mumbled against his shoulder.

Looking from the couple to the intimidating man, Sara wasn't sure what looked weirder; this scary guy almost smiling as he looked at Jack and the blonde, or Jack O'Neill showing his affections in public – or anywhere for that matter. He simply wasn't the kind of guy that wore his heart on his sleeve and she'd always known that; it had only become a problem later in their marriage, especially after Charlie died. She realized that Jack seemed to simply have forgotten she was there as he was hugging this younger woman, but she knew the woman had seen her. The big blue eyes had looked at her curiously before she'd laid her head on Jack's shoulder. Sara had to admit the woman looked stunning in her elegant yet somehow sexy outfit, with her blond hair touching her shoulders and those big blue orbs. She knew that Jack was a handsome man and that he didn't look his age – unlike the last time they'd seen each other – but it was obvious to her that this woman was at least ten years younger. Probably even more, but Sara found it hard to believe that Jack would run into the arms of a younger woman while his own wife was missing or declared dead.

"Oh, sorry," Jack smiled sheepishly. "Murray Teal'c, this is Sara Kozak, Sara my buddy Teal'c. Sara is, ah," he cleared his throat awkwardly, "my ex-wife."

"Nice to meet you," she mumbled.

"It is an honor to meet you, Sara Kozak," Teal'c replied ceremoniously.

Sam's head had snapped up when Jack had introduced his ex to Teal'c and now she was wondering how the hell she was supposed to react. Obviously Teal'c had never met her or he wouldn't have to be introduced, but had she met Jack's first wife? He'd told her all about Charlie the other day and he'd mentioned a few things about Sara as well, but nothing much.

"Sam, this is Sara Kozak," Jack looked at his wife as she disentangled herself from him. "Sara, this is Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter, my wife."

"You-your wife?" Sara gasped, completely forgetting her manners as she covered her mouth with one hand in shock.

"Yeah, are you okay, Sara?"

She cleared her throat and frowned at her own behavior. "Yes, I'm fine… I just hadn't expected… this."

Jack squinted at her, cocking his head. "Didn't you just say Daniel told you about Sam?"

"Well, yes, but I thought she was… well, I overheard you and Dr. Jackson talk about her being declared, ah, dead. I assumed that-"

"I was dead," Sam stated a bit sharper than she'd intended, but she couldn't help but wonder about the woman's motives for talking to Jack thinking that his wife had died. "Well, I'm not."

"Thank God, no," Jack murmured in her hair as he pulled her closer again.

"That's great," Sara stammered slightly, completely confused with the turn of events. "I'm happy for you, Jack," she managed to say. "I guess that explains why you're looking much better."

Jack nodded at her remark before smiling at Sam. "Time to go home?"

"Yes, I'm beat. Janet was right," she admitted, suppressing another yawn.

"It was good seeing you again, Sara. Take care," he told his ex-wife before turning away with his arm still around Sam. "Teal'c do you mind if we get out of here?"

"I most certainly do not, O'Neill. Colonel Carter appears to be in need of rest. Daniel Jackson and I will contact  _Prometheus_ for our means of transport."

"Great buddy," Jack slapped him on the shoulder. "Could you tell General Hammond and the President that we're off?"

"I will endeavor to do so."

Jack waved him off and pulled out his cell phone to contact the driver, telling him they wanted to go home right now. Despite the urgency in his voice, he was actually surprised to see his driver and limousine waiting for them five minutes later after they had both donned their coats. Well, he'd done most of the donning, Sam had just stood there. "Sam, watch your step," he warned her as they made their way down and helped her in the car.

"Sorry," she apologized as she scooted over the seat making room for him as well.

"It's okay," he smirked, throwing his arm around her shoulder. "Won't be much longer until we can get you to bed."

Sam leaned back against his chest, letting her head rest against his neck. "Good."

Jack absentmindedly stroked her arm as he watched the scenery. Luckily it was already close to midnight and the streets weren't as busy as usual so they were home pretty fast. He told the driver to take tomorrow off considering he wasn't going into work and didn't need a driver, before taking Sam's hand and helping her out of the car. She surprised him as she quickly walked up the steps to their house and waited for him by the door. "Looks like that catnap did you good."

"It did," she grinned at him as he unlocked the door. As soon as it was open she walked inside, turned on the light and threw her coat over the peg on the wall.

Jack watched her creep up the stairs while unbuttoning his own coat and taking off his dress shoes. As he made his way up to the stairs he slowly unbuttoned his dress blues and slipped off the jacket when he reached their bedroom. He saw the light on in the bathroom and assumed Sam was getting ready for bed as he pulled off the rest of his suit and neatly draped it over a chair in the walk-in closet. He'd get that cleaned tomorrow. Wearing his boxers he made his way over to the bathroom and tried the door. Finding it open, he slipped inside and started brushing his teeth while Sam cleaned her mouth.

"I'll be out of your hair," she mumbled, before going back to the bedroom.

He shrugged, it wasn't like she was in the way or anything but she probably wanted to take off her clothes as well so he didn't say anything. After rinsing his mouth he followed her. "Still dressed?"

"Almost done, just can't get the zipper down," Sam explained, pointing at her left side.

He frowned as he walked up to her. He leaned back slightly to examine the dark outfit, aware of the height difference now that she'd shed her heels. "It has a zipper?"

"Here," she grabbed his hand and let it rest on the slider and lifted her arm to give him enough room.

"There you go," Jack exclaimed triumphantly as he tugged on the slider and unzipped the jumpsuit.

Turning around, Sam glanced up at him. "Thanks," she murmured before reaching up to cup his cheek and kissing him.

Caught off guard, Jack opened his mouth to protest, object… he wasn't sure and all thought disappeared when she thrust in her tongue.

Sam easily deepened the kiss, trying to draw him out and moaning when he finally started participating. Their tongues swirled around each other, tasting, teasing, playing.

"Sam," Jack breathed as he broke off the kiss and pushed her back.

"What?"

He fought for self-control when he saw her big blue eyes staring up at him, her pink lips bruised from their passionate kiss and heard her hoarse voice. "We talked about this," he started, gesturing between them. "I don't think-"

"Stop thinking, Jack," Sam smirked, pushing him back towards the bed. "I want this, I want you," she continued as his calves hit the bed and he fell backwards on the mattress. Tugging on the piece of fabric bunched around her waist, Sam let her jumpsuit pool around her feet and stepped out of it. She climbed on the bed and pushed against his chest, keeping him in place. "Why don't you believe me, Jack?"

"God Sam," he protested, not sure if he was capable of logic anymore.

She giggled and straddled him, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra. "I may not have all my memories," she elaborated, "but my body remembers you. Every time you touch me I'm on fire, Jack. Trust me when I say I'm ready for this, I want you to make love to me." She wasn't sure what had made her decide to simply 'go for it' but she knew it had something to do with running into his ex-wife. Sure, she'd wanted him before that but she'd thought that maybe he was right, that they should wait until her memories were back. But his touch tonight had made her doubt that. The feel of his fingers on her bare back as he absentmindedly caressed her skin while talking to the President, or dancing or simply enjoying each other's company. Sara, though, had been what had made up her mind, Sam figured. Jack was married to  _her_  and it was time to stake a claim.


	19. Discovering

Looking down at the man she was straddling, Sam held his gaze. His brown eyes were hypnotizing her and she could see the desire there underneath the…  _concern_? "Jack," she drawled his name as she wiggled her hips and she had the clasp on the back of her bra in both hands. She leaned back slightly as she slowly unclasped the bra and held it up, her blue eyes locked on his almost black ones and she knew his desire was winning his inner battle.  _Good_. The nude colored strapless bra was still covering her breasts but she doubted that it – together with her black laced thong – kept her modesty. And if Jack's heated look was anything to go by her actions were having the desired effect. "Your fingers on my skin made me tingle all night," she told him in a hoarse whisper.

Jack's breathing was heavy as he watched her face. Her cheeks were flushed and her blue eyes were almost as dark as the night. The passion and desire they were clearly projecting had an intoxicating effect on him, as they'd always had. Her weight settled on his hips made his body all the more aware of her presence, her nearness. Adrenalin was coursing through his body as if he'd just ran a marathon and he felt like he was on fire. When she'd wiggled her hips he'd felt her sweet little ass brush over his now rather confining boxers, only missing his swelling arousal within an inch. The gleam in her eyes made him wonder if she knew, if she'd done it on purpose to keep him hanging. He wanted to thrust up so badly, press himself against her after being so close to her and yet so far away for the past few weeks. Her saucy little grin, however, stopped him. She wanted to show him how much she wanted him? He'd let her, he thought as he let his eyes slide down her neck to come to rest on the pale mounds covered by the loose bra. "Sam-"

"No talking, Jack," she bit her lip as she brought her hands down, taking the bra with her. "Just make love to me."

He nearly gasped as she carelessly threw the offending piece of clothing over her shoulder and stretched. Really stretched her long frame by lifting her arms in the air and leaning back slightly, inadvertently – or perhaps advertently – stretching the muscles in her upper body. The skin of her toned stomach stretching, her fragile ribs even more visible, her full yet firm breasts thrust forwards and her thrown back head showing the pale column of her long neck while her hair danced over her shoulders. His hands moved of their own volition, gently gripping her thighs and caressing up till they reached her lacy thong and then down again, back to her knees. Her skin was so incredibly soft and silky that he was tempted to just throw her off and fasten his mouth on the first piece of skin his lips would encounter. But he didn't. His breath hitched when she leaned back from her stretch and looked at him with blazing blue eyes, a lazy smile around her lips as her hands came up and cupped her breasts. Her elegant pale fingers gently rubbing, caressing and kneading the alabaster mounds.

Sam heard the hitch in his breath as she massaged her heavy breasts. The bra had been uncomfortable, restraining her tender flesh, the wires prodding on the outer sides. But her desire for Jack was the real problem though. It was a good thing it was a padded bra because his touch really had made her tingle all night! And now his eyes were making her dizzy with desire as her own hands cupped her breasts, trying to relieve some of the tension he'd been the cause of. She let out a soft moan and closed her eyes, feeling the flames burn inside her. Her arousal making her blood race, pumping through her arteries the sound almost deafening in her ears and the only thing she could hear above the noise was their heavy breathing. Tightening the grip her hands had on her own flesh, Sam let her nails scrape over her hard and sensitive nipples as she rocked her hips slightly, feeling the need for more. More of what she wasn't sure, but she just needed it, needed Jack to make love to her. Lose herself in his arms. His hands slid up her legs, making her shudder with desire as the rough calluses teased her sensitive skin.

The bedroom was cool and Jack was grateful for it because he was sure he was close to overheating. Sam was like a goddess on top of him, her hands touching her body, seducing him. Luring him in and he was all too happy to comply. The sheets rustled when she dug her toes and knees in the mattress to rock herself harder against him. Her eyes were still closed, her lips parted as her breath came out in little huffs of air and a flush crept up from her neck to her cheeks, making her look even more beautiful to him. He didn't think she even realized she was rocking her body because she looked like she was lost in the feeling as her hands kept stroking her flesh. Forcing himself not to rush anything, Jack let his hands slide up tantalizingly slow. The delicate lace got caught against his calloused palms and he reveled in the feeling before continuing his journey upwards. Although her loss of weight had left her skinnier than he remembered, her hips were still a bit curvy and he let his hands rest there for a minute. He was getting harder by the minute from her movements, the little breathy sounds she was making and just the perfect picture her body on top of his provided and still he pushed down his own desires. He wanted to savor this, he wanted to go slow and enjoy every second of reconnecting with her body. Maybe, just maybe making love to her would somehow make her remember something. If not, this was the only chance he was getting to introduce her to his feelings for her; he was a doer not a talker as he was much better with action than with words.

Jack took a deep breath to rein in his desire and keep his self-control while he let his eyes roam over her pale body. The only lighting in the room came from the alarm clocks on the nightstands and the moonlight coming in from the windows as they hadn't closed the curtains yet. The light lit up Sam's alabaster complexion and he was just in awe of her beauty. The paleness contrasted sharply with the flush on her skin and the rosy nipples that peeked out every now and then through her fingers as she kept kneading her breasts. His own hands rubbed slow circles on her hips, his thumbs reaching up to caress her slightly protruding ribs. His tanned skin looked almost wrong on her body and yet it felt so right… "Sam," he groaned as she started moaning and rubbing herself harder against him. The feel of her lacy thong rubbing against his lower abdomen, over the small patch of hair going from his navel to his throbbing erection was almost sinful but it wasn't enough. He grabbed her hips hard enough to bruise the delicate skin and shoved her down his body.

"Oh God," Sam whispered huskily, her eyes blinking before she placed one hand on his chest to support her as Jack moved her. The waistband of his boxers brushing her through the skimpy material of her underwear was shooting the most pleasurable sensations from her core up her spine and she shuddered almost violently when she felt his erection against her bare ass. His hands were on her hips, keeping her in place – as if she'd move – as his eyes sought out hers. She held those dark eyes with her blue ones as she placed both hands on his torso, scratching her nails over his nipples slowly, making him buck up against her. Her breath hitched at the intimate contact and she saw the warning in his eyes as she was about to do it again. Instead, she flexed her fingers on his chest, moving them through the small amount of his brown and silvery chest hair. Leaning her weight forward, on her hands, she moved lower until she rubbed herself against his boxer-clad erection. Sam was almost positive she could feel him throb against her and she ground her hips against his in response.

"Fuck," Jack's eyes fluttered briefly when she pressed herself against him.  _God, did it feel good!_  Digging his fingers in her hips he pulled her down on him again as he thrust up, both of them hissing at the contact. Her breasts bounced with the movement, attracting his attention now that they were completely bare of fabric or hands. "Samantha," he growled as his hands skimmed up her sides and teasingly slid under her breasts, caressing her ribs and midriff.

"Please," she begged, not caring that she sounded needy – she  _was_  needy for him; his touch, his warmth, his skin, his tongue, his hands and, God, did she need his cock inside of her. Rocking her hips, she quickly found her rhythm again as she rubbed herself against his boxers.

He smirked, turning his palms up to cup her generous breasts. The skin was incredibly soft and satiny under his rough hands and such a contrast with the fabric of his boxers that was currently almost chafing his sensitive flesh under her movements. "Sam," he hissed, pushing his hips up as is his thumbs traced the aureoles on both breasts. Her nipples tightened even more despite the lack of actual touch and he felt another jolt of arousal going straight to his groin at the sight of her soft flesh puckering as the nipples grew more erect. Her moans intensified as he started kneading the mounds, his thumbs brushing her nipples over and over again.

 _Janet hadn't been kidding_ , Sam thought as Jack's strong hands were caressing her breasts. Every inch felt electrified with the contact and she was sure her nerves were working overtime with all the sensations coursing through her body. Bringing up her own hands, she covered his urging him to continue, be a bit rougher and- "Oh God," she cried, her hips jerking when pure bliss went from her nipple to her clit as Jack's hand squeezed her breasts and he tweaked her nipples with his long fingers. Briefly, she wondered if they were always this sensitive but she pretty much stopped thinking when he did it again.

Jack gasped when she jerked on him, surprised with her strong reaction to his ministrations. He couldn't help but be smug when he saw her bewildered look as he tweaked her nipples again, making her cry out again. She'd always been extremely responsive to him, but this was a first and he certainly enjoyed it because he loved her breasts. Hell, he loved every part of her! His erection was becoming painful now, though and he slowly got up, never taking his hands off her gorgeous body. Her eyes were closed as he leaned in and she was panting, the huffs of breath warming his face before he captured her lips with his.

Her eyes flew open, startled at the wet feel against her mouth. "Jack," she murmured as he nibbled on her lip. He smirked and she took it as an opportunity, letting her tongue slide against his sensual thin lips before brushing it against his teeth. Her silent request was almost immediately granted when he opened his mouth and sucked in her tongue. The suction and assault of his tongue on hers, his hands working miracles on her heavy tensed breasts and his erection rubbing the lace of thong against her clit with the new position almost brought her over the edge. Sam grabbed his arms and pulled back from his mouth, trying to catch her breath as her head rested in the crook of his neck. "Oh fuck," she mumbled, nuzzling the tanned skin, her teeth grazing against the chain of dog tags – which had been thrown over his shoulder the moment she'd pushed him on the bed – as she couldn't stop herself from rocking her hips against him. It felt so good to feel his throbbing arousal grind against her. Or maybe she was grinding her clit against him, she was too far gone to tell the difference.

"You're killing me here, Sam," he whispered in her hair, giving her breasts one last squeeze before sliding his hands to her sides, down her back to cup her bare ass. His fingers slipped under the tiny band of her thong and pulled on it, making it snap back against her skin. "Like that?" Jack asked as she jerked against him in response. He felt her nod her head against his neck and grabbed the flimsy fabric again. This time, however, he pulled on the small triangle just below her dimples, knowing it would pull the front of the lace back, rubbing hard against her clit. She gasped and bit down on his neck, which made his hips jerk in response. "Fuck, I'm serious Sam," he growled, cupping her six with his hands to lift her from him.

Sam blinked at him, her eyes clouded with desire. "What?"

"I'm afraid it'll fall off," he quipped as he lifted his hips from his lying position on the bed and quickly shed his boxers, throwing them on the floor.

"Better?" She smirked as she grasped his straining erection. He was velvety soft and yet so stiff under her hand.

The cool air had been a welcome reprieve for his overheated flesh but her firm grip was even better. "God yes," he moaned, his eyes rolling back as her hand started sliding up and down. Her grip tightened every now and then, making him growl and thrust in her hand.

Sam watched him openly. His eyes were closed in bliss, his features relaxed, his chest heaving, a small sheen of sweat on his tanned skin, his cock erect under her hand. She let her nails scrape him slightly, giggling when he bucked in response, before swirling her thumb over the head smearing his already-present pre-cum around. Her own body was humming from arousal and yet she felt content with just touching him, pleasuring him as he'd done just mere minutes ago to her. She was wet and more than ready for him, but she could wait for now.

"Samantha," he grasped her wrist as he could feel the tension coiling in his groin and pulled her hand away. "No, or it'll be over soon," he said in a softer tone, bringing her hand to his lips to kiss the fingertips. Jack was slightly surprised when she pulled her hand back and his breath got caught in his throat as she imitated his gesture. Then she started licking her fingers, sucking them in her mouth to get rid of the last remains of his pre-cum and it was just…  _hot!_  "C'mere," he grabbed hold of her chin and pulled her closer to press his lips on hers.

Opening her mouth immediately, Sam relished in his taste. He was an amazing kisser and she thought it was quite hot that he'd kissed his pre-cum from her fingertips, but she'd wanted to taste  _all_  of him too. Now both tastes were in her mouth, his tongue seeking out hers, twisting around it, challenging her as she tasted him on his lips and knew he could taste himself on hers. "Jack," she breathed as she broke the kiss, her hand cupping his cheek.

He smiled at her, brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear and pressing another quick kiss on her shiny pink lips. His hand slid down her side, gently pressing on her hip, urging her to lie on her back and she did. Placing both hands on either side of her face, Jack lifted himself above her. He felt her hands run down his back until they reached his ass and his sweet Colonel dug her nails into it, making him growl and recapture her lips. Lowering one knee he urged her legs apart, making a kicking movement between her knees in order to spread them even further.

Sam finally grasped his tongue between her teeth and bit down gently, enjoying the shudder that ran through his body from the small movement. Feeling his knee she spread her legs and waited for him to settle between her legs so she could cradle him there. There where he belonged as  _her_  husband. He was hers, completely hers and no one else's. The thought made her smile into their kiss and she squeezed his six as well. His ass was toned and extremely sexy, she'd decided and she loved the soft touch of his skin with the hard, well-trained muscles underneath it as she dug her nails in again. He jerked against her in response, his erection brushing against her belly and she thrust her hips up.

"You're beautiful," he murmured as he leaned back, looking at her big blue orbs, the blush on her face and the swollen, glistening lips. She always surprised him with her little shy smile when he told her that, almost as if she didn't believe him and this time was no different. Kissing the tip of her nose, Jack dipped his head in the crook of her neck. He nuzzled the alabaster column as she obediently leaned her head back to give him more room. It made him smirk against her soft skin, wondering if she'd done it out of instinct or if she was right when they'd gotten home; that her body somehow remembered him? Jack decided he liked the latter best and continued his exploration of her sweet skin. That Carter scent had driven him wild from the moment he'd been close enough to smell her all those years ago and nothing had changed in all that time. He ground his hips against her, the lace of her thong enhancing the pleasure he felt from the friction as she brought up her own hips. His erection was caught between their bellies and it was an exquisite feeling, almost close to torture for his Carter-deprived body.

Her head rolled on the mattress as Jack's mouth placed soft kisses along her neck, his teeth nibbling on it before his tongue would sooth the spot. The tension in her body was back with a vengeance as he took his time, making sure to kiss and lick every inch of her neck and all she could think of was his mouth on her aching breasts or maybe his erection pressing into her wet center. Or,  _God_ , both at the same time! "Jack," she pleaded with him, her hands coming up in his hair to pull him down, guiding him to where she needed him. At the same time, she let her calves slide up his legs until they reached his hips and she wrapped them around it.

Jack growled when she thrust up against him, feeling the wet fabric against his throbbing erection almost too much for his sanity. "Samantha," he nipped on her collarbone in a warning, but she did it again and he couldn't help but shift slightly between her legs so he could thrust against her wetness. "You're so wet," he murmured, the soaked thong teasing his heated flesh with the promise of much more. Taking a deep breath, Jack resumed the path his mouth was intent on taking. Pressing soft open-mouthed wet kisses on her chest he finally reached her full breasts. He nuzzled the valley between her breasts, relishing in the soft skin and her unique scent as he leaned down with his elbows supporting him on the mattress.

"Jack please," Sam begged, tugging on his hair to urge him to take her nipple in his mouth as she kept grinding her lower body against his. For a moment she silently berated herself for not taking  _all_  her clothes off as she wanted to feel him brush against her folds without the hindrance of fabric – although it was kind of erotic with it brushing her sensitive clit every time – but then she realized it wasn't the fabric; it was Jack. He could easily shove it aside if he wanted to, but he was intent on prolonging this, probably wanting her to beg for more. Well, she could do that. "Please," she growled, shamelessly rubbing herself harder against him and actually pulling on his hair. At this moment, in this situation she wasn't beneath begging.

He leaned on one elbow to cup her breast with his other hand as his mouth descended upon the opposite breast. Hoping she wasn't going to leave him with bald patches on his head, Jack decided to skip the teasing and traced the aureole with his tongue, flicking the nipple with it before closing his mouth over it. His hand imitated the ministrations, trailing, tweaking, squeezing, pinching and even scraping his nail over the little bud as his teeth nibbled on its twin. Her hips bucked against him and he wondered how much longer he could hold out before he'd blow all over her. "Fuck," he groaned as he switched his weight on his other elbow to switch breasts.

Sam was literally humming with pleasure as he sucked on her nipples, tension building… and all of a sudden she felt the cold air around her hard nipples and opened her eyes, scowling at her husband. "Jack, what are you doing?" She almost whined, tugging on his hair until he growled and actually  _bit_  her stomach. Her body jerked and she hissed. "Jack!"

Looking up as innocently as he could muster, he smirked at her, his tongue already darting out to soothe the little blemish on her pale skin. "Sorry," he mumbled, completely unapologetic, before continuing his feathery kisses on her stomach, his hands trailing down her sides. His tongue dipped into her navel and Jack softly nipped at it, still holding her gaze. Her blue eyes were screaming with desire and he knew she was probably as close as he was. Getting impatient himself, Jack grabbed hold of the flimsy underwear at her sides and tugged at it until she lifted her hips. It was easily discarded after a journey down her long legs and joined the rest of the clothes on the floor… somewhere. He couldn't help himself but rub his erection against the mattress as he kissed his way up her legs, needing to relieve the pressure. He wanted to do this right and not just take her. He wanted to enjoy this somewhat first time for them – again – and, more importantly, have her enjoy it as much as possible.

She was panting, completely out of breath by the tension in her body. Sam couldn't even tell where it was exactly as her entire body felt on fire, ready to explode with the slightest provocation. Tension, pressure, hot, wet, desire, throbbing…  _God_ , she felt like she was going to die if he wouldn't hurry up. "Please," she tried again, her hands once again sliding through the silky silver hair that stuck up. "I'm so close… need more, Jack," she sobbed, writhing on the mattress as his breath blew against her.

Jack gripped her thighs to open her further and breathed in her scent as he nuzzled the small blond patch of curls. She was so beautiful, so perfect and responsive… and all  _his_. With a shrug from years of experience he scooped up her knees and let his hand trail around her sensitive flesh. He knew she loved it when he used his fingers first – she'd once mentioned something about his rough fingertips against her skin – and he wasn't disappointed when his wife started writhing underneath him and moaning loudly. Throwing his free arm over her belly he kept her pressed down on the mattress as his fingers continued their exploration.

"Oh," she threw her head back, eyes closed and tried to pull him closer by tugging on his hair but he seemed intent on teasing her with his fingers first.  _God, this man definitely knows my body_ , she mused in a fleeting moment. Her hips jerked under his arm when he traced around her clit with his calloused finger, but he easily pressed her back in place. Sam had been on fire for hours now and she could feel her arousal, knew that he could see it, smell it and it only turned her on even more. Her fluids gushed out of her as one of his fingers trailed lower, tracing her opening. "Jack, more."

Glancing up for a moment, he quickly refocused when he saw her eyes were still closed. He let his middle finger slide in until the first knuckle, making her buck up, trying to force him deeper. "Not yet, Samantha," he drawled out, smugness clear in his voice but he could care less at the moment. He had every right to be smug. Placing his thumb just above the hood of her clit he pulled on the tender flesh, stretching it.

"Yes," Sam moaned, moving her hips not sure whether she wanted to escape the stretching of her flesh or needed more. Either way, it didn't matter as Jack didn't allow her much room to move with his steel like hold over her stomach. She shuddered violently when he pulled even more on the flesh, breathing on her clit and at the same time let his nail scrape the inside of her opening. "Oh," she tugged on his hair again, relieved when he gave in. She could feel herself dripping down the globes of her ass when his tongue finally darted out to trace around her clit. Moaning in protest, she tried to steer his head but he just chuckled, the vibrations making her inner muscles flutter.

Finally allowing her some more, Jack let his finger slide in completely as his tongue kept lapping around her most sensitive spot. He wasn't surprised when she pushed herself against his hand and when he looked up and saw the almost desperate expression on her face, he started moving his finger in earnest.

"God," her whisper was so soft she wasn't even sure she'd said it aloud. "God, yes Jack," she tried again, almost sobbing with pleasure when his tongue flicked her clit, making her buck against his face.

Jack slipped in another finger, stretching her, knowing she'd probably need it after eight months and he knew he wouldn't be able to go very slow. "Samantha," he murmured against her flesh as he closed his lips over her clit, teasing it with his tongue before he started sucking on it.

One hand grabbed and twisted the sheets on the mattress while the other flexed in his hair, her body arching with his caresses as his fingers kept thrusting into her. "Yes, oh, God, Jack," she moaned, unable to keep her mouth shut or form a coherent sentence. "So close," she twisted her hips in the hopes of more… she didn't know, she just needed more. "So close, Jack."

Flicking her clit with his tongue, he enjoyed her taste on his tongue and added another finger in her tight opening. "Come for me, Sam," he mumbled around her clit, knowing the vibrations would send her nerves in overload.

"Oh God, Jack," she cried out as his fingers kept thrusting into her relentlessly, hitting that sensitive spot on her walls. The tension in her breasts and belly seemed to come to a peak and her entire body arched under his hands and mouth. "Oh!"

Jack looked up at her; her hair wild around her face, her head thrown back in the pillow, eyes closed, nose scrunched up and her lips parted as she kept moaning. Opening his mouth further, he scraped her little bundle of nerves with his teeth and sucked as hard as he could while pounding into her with his fingers.

"God, yes," Sam trashed around on the bed, her muscles squeezing around his thrusting fingers. "Jack, oh," she moaned and then the tension shot out of her body, nearly knocking her out with its force. "Fuck, yes, oh," she gasped as her body tingled, fluids gushed out of her and- "Oh GOD!"

Jack's head snapped up when he heard her voice go from desire to panic, her trembling body going rigid with the exception of the muscles clenching his fingers inside of her. "Sam? Oh fuck!"


	20. Lost

Jack was stunned, his eyes shifting from the horrified expression on her face to her chest. His mind was searching for words and apparently, so was Sam's because she was gaping clearly grasping for the right words. This had only happened once before in his entire life! Well not once, but during one specific time; when he was married to Sara and they'd had Charlie.

Breaking her gaze on her breasts, Sam brought up her hand as she sat up. "Jack?" She asked, looking at him to make sure she wasn't imagining things.

"Christ," he mumbled, dragging one hand through his hair and then realizing where his other hand was. "Sorry," he muttered and slid his fingers from her, wiping them on the sheets.

Grazing the milky fluid with her fingertips, Sam stared at it and rubbed it between her fingers. "God," she smelled at it before darting out her tongue and tasting it. "Jack?"

"There is only one thing I can think of," he whispered in a defeated tone. This couldn't really be happening, could it?

She swallowed hard, frowning as she looked down again. "That would mean that I-"

"Yeah," he confirmed. Finally snapping out his daze, Jack started pacing. Reaching the nightstand he grabbed some tissues and handed them to her. "Here."

"God, I can't believe it," Sam whispered as she took them from him and wiped herself clean. "And you didn't know?"

"Of course not!" he barked, glaring at her. "Sorry," he mumbled, seeing her wince. "You need to see Janet."

"No, I'm sorry," she said, getting up and grabbing his arm. "I know you would never lie about this."

Jack simply nodded and, shaking off her arm, leaned down to grab his boxers. "I'll contact the  _Prometheus_  to have us beamed over to the SGC."

"Okay," Sam gnawed her lip, looking around for her own clothing as he pulled on his boxers. "I'll just jump in the shower," she mentioned before slipping into the bathroom. She was feeling sticky and certainly didn't want the petite doctor to give her a physical without showering first!

"Yeah," he replied before putting on a pair of jeans and a sweater. Spotting the tissues Sam had used, he grabbed them and, going downstairs, put them in a plastic bag to hand over to Janet before contacting the ship as well as the SGC, to let them know Sam needed to see Doctor Fraiser. He still couldn't wrap his head around what had just happened. Surely this couldn't be? No matter how hard he tried, though, there wasn't any other explanation he could think of. He had no idea what to do next and decided to just wait and hear what Janet would make of this before drawing premature conclusions.

"I'm ready," Sam told him as she walked down the stairs, also dressed in a pair of jeans and a simple sweater.

"They'll beam us up in," Jack glanced at his watch, "six minutes. I already called the SGC and if everything goes according to plan, Walter has just called Janet and she should be on her way now. I haven't given any details yet just that it was urgent."

"I understand," she gave him a wan smile and sat down on a chair. Her hands were shaking with anxiety, not knowing what to think about what had just happened. One minute they were making love and the next…  _God, could it really be true?_  How could she not have noticed before? Not that she had any experience with this, but still. "I don't know what to think," she admitted softly.

"Me neither," Jack confessed, padding over to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He really didn't want to think about what this would mean. Before he could say anything else, though a bright white light enveloped them.

* * *

"Let's go into my office," Janet said after her brief exam. "Come on."

Jack waited for Sam to hop off the bed and then they both followed the doctor.

"Have a seat," she motioned towards the two chairs in front of her desk as she leaned back in her own chair. "After what you," she looked at General O'Neill, "and Sam told me about what happened and my quick exam, I am pretty sure you were right."

"Pretty sure?" Jack echoed.

"Yes,  _General_ ," Janet emphasized his rank as she glared at him. "Since it only happened once we'll have to wait for the lab results of the fluids on the tissues and-"

"Doc," he interrupted her, "how the hell can you not have noticed it before?"

"Jack," Sam protested, grabbing his hand, scowling at him. Surely Janet had done her best with all the regular exams she'd performed?

Janet sighed and linking her fingers, leaned forward placing her arms on the desk. "Sir, with all due respect I never imagined this either."

"I thought you had done several physical exams right after they brought Sam here!"

"Yes Sir," she said in a placating tone. "However, there was nothing that indicated this."

"So what are you saying, Janet?" Sam asked hesitantly, glancing at Jack.

"Well, considering everything we know I'd say…" She took a deep breath, her eyes shifting from Sam to the General and back. "I'd say you indeed had a let down reflex."

"Oh God," Sam gasped, burying her face in her hands. "That means we," she motioned between her and Jack, "have a child?"

"It means," Jack groaned, glancing at her, "that  _you_  gave birth to  _a_  child." This was like his worst nightmare; first Sam was abducted when they were finally together, then comes back without her memory and now it turns out she had a child while she was missing! He had imagined  _a lot_  of things that could've happened to her, what Ba'al could've done to her but never in his wildest dreams had this scenario crossed his mind. But whose child?

Janet leaned back, letting this new information sink in while her own mind was racing a mile a minute. How could she have missed this? After all the exams, all the tests, the blood work, everything she had done and  _this_  major event had gone unnoticed? "Actually Sir," she started after a minute of silence, "considering Sam has only been gone for a little over seven months and the technology Ba'al has at his disposal, I'm inclined to agree with her. As far as we know, the Goa'uld aren't capable of affecting time in this manner to speed up the pregnancy. Bearing in mind that Ba'al is already capable of producing his own clones, he wouldn't, ah," she shifted uncomfortably, trying to find the right words. "He wouldn't need Sam to, ah… carry them for him or use her for anything like this at all. Not to mention that he can make adult clones, why would he need to go through the stages of pregnancy to end up with a baby? I mean, have we ever encountered a Goa'uld that cares for a child? With the exception of Apophis and Amaunet's attempt to bring forth a harsesis there is no evidence that they, ah," she stammered a bit, not wanting to use the term ' father' realizing the emotional distress the General was already in, "want or need a human child. It would therefore not make any sense for him to use Sam to give him a child."

"If you say so, Doc," Jack replied, still not convinced. He wanted to believe Ba'al wouldn't do such a thing, then again… he was  _Ba'al_. There wasn't anything the snake wouldn't do.

Steeling herself, Sam finally spoke up. "Could these Goa'uld even care for a premature baby?"

"I doubt it," Janet snorted. "They aren't known for their patience or their medical knowledge. Sure, they have a sarcophagus but that wouldn't be effective enough."

Sam simply nodded, still having no idea what the hell a sarcophagus was, only knowing that apparently it had something to do with medicine or healing and that it has addictive properties. "Are you really sure about this Janet? I mean, wouldn't there be any evidence that I've carried a child? You did do an ultrasound, several scans and physical exams…."

Hearing her voice trail off, Janet glanced at General O'Neill. If she hadn't known the man for almost a decade, she wouldn't be able to see how he was fuming on the inside. He was tense, angry, confused and… hurt? "Yes, I did," she replied, waiting for both of them to look at her. "I've been thinking about this too since you got here and I have to admit that there are certain things that – in hindsight – make sense now. Your blood work for example; I thought it was all messed up from the sarcophagus, as we've already experienced with the General and Daniel in the past. But there were also differences to that, which I assumed were because of your different physiology and your sex. After you went through withdrawal, though, your hormones were still unbalanced. Namely oxytocin and prolactin were too high, while the rest of your hormones were within normal range if slightly elevated compared to your records. Because we've never had a female going through sarcophagus withdrawal I simply assumed this was because due to your different sex. Now, however, it makes perfect sense; after childbirth most of the hormones drop to their normal levels – before the pregnancy – within hours if not days, but not these two because they are needed for bonding, recovery and breastfeeding."

"Yet you didn't think of it before," Jack mentioned, a hint of anger tingeing his voice.

"No Sir, I didn't," she calmly replied. "Sam was unusually skinny when Colonel Reynolds and his team found her, quite the opposite from what you would expect if a woman has given birth recently. Not to mention that the use of the sarcophagus has probably restored her body and in a way, got rid of any evidence of Sam ever giving birth."

He had to admit that it made some kind of sense, but he still wasn't sure about all of this. On one hand he wanted Sam to have been pregnant, that this meant they had a child together. On the other hand he wanted Fraiser to be wrong, because this all meant that Sam had given birth to  _a_  child that was out there,  _somewhere_  and probably in the clutches of the most hated snake. "When will you know for sure?"

"Like I said, Sir, we'll have to wait until the fluids on the tissues have been analyzed and I also took another sample of Sam's blood and told the analysts to check for any signs that might indicate she's been pregnant. Considering the first tests we did when Sam got here there's a good chance the delivery hasn't been that long ago," she explained. "Most of the hormones drop down to their normal levels quite fast and prolactin returns to pregravid levels within three weeks if one is not lactating. Even when lactating they return to pregravid levels eventually, and Sam's were still elevated the last time we checked."

"But you're sure there isn't another reason this could have happened?" Sam asked cautiously.

"To be honest, this is the only reasonable explanation honey. It even explains the tenderness you felt in your breasts the last couple of days as well as the stomach aches you've been having."

She nodded absentmindedly, fidgeting with the hem of her sweater. "So it wasn't the birth control pill you gave me?"

Janet shook her head and reached out to grab her friends hand over the desk. "I don't think so, Sam. You're stomach has been bothering you since you got here and it didn't stop when you came out of withdrawal. It was probably contractions of your uterus."

"Why didn't this," Jack made a vague hand gesture towards his wife's chest, "happen earlier?"

"A lot of reasons, Sir," Janet replied. "Sam was going through withdrawal and her hormones were all over the place. She was malnourished and underweight; lacking the strength to breastfeed. If a body is severely underweight, like with anorexics the brain will make sure to use all the nourishment it can get to keep itself alive. There is no energy or sufficient nutrients to keep up some bodily functions and the distorted hormone balance won't allow a anorexic woman to have her menstrual cycle; there is no need to be able to reproduce when the body isn't strong enough to carry a child. In Sam's case it means that her body wasn't up for the task of breastfeeding. Not to mention that there wasn't a baby  _to_ breastfeed or any other kind of stimulation," she narrowed her eyes at him. They hadn't told her the  _exact_  circumstances in which they'd found out Sam was lactating, but she had a pretty good idea. After all, Sam hadn't been in contact with babies and she doubted that it had happened during a hot bath or shower, considering she hadn't been lactating before. She did know however, that oxytocin – which is responsible for the milk ejection – was also released during an orgasm.

"So," Sam looked at them nervously, "now what?"

"Well, when the test results come back positive I want to do a more thorough exam now that I know what to look for," Janet informed her.

"Okay," she nodded, knowing it was necessary even if she didn't like to be poked and prodded.

Jack scrubbed his face with his hand, sighing loudly. "We'll have to inform Landry, the President and the JCS. If this," he waved around, "is all true we can't let that bastard get away with this." He'd be damned if he'd lose another child! "I wouldn't trust Ba'al to feed his own Jaffa, let alone care for an infant."

Janet nodded, agreeing with him. "I will also need to go over the time before Sam disappeared," she continued. "With you, Sir." She needed to know when they'd had intercourse so she could calculate how far along Sam had been when Ba'al had taken her and how old her child probably was. It still felt so unreal. They were talking about  _a_ child,  _a_  pregnancy,  _a_ delivery and so on, while this was Sam! Her best friend, Jack's wife. It was most likely  _their_  baby, something they should be excited about not worrying about where it was and what the hell had happened with it!

"Of course," he mumbled, deep in his own thoughts. His hands were shaking in his lap and he wasn't afraid to admit – to himself – that he was terrified this all might be true. That he and Sam had a baby together! One she didn't remember, didn't know what happened to it. Hell, they wouldn't even know if it was a boy or a girl until either Sam remembered something or they found Ba'al. If he still had the child, that is! Oh God, he didn't even want to think about what Ba'al might have done with his baby!

* * *

Jack was grateful that it was in the middle of the night, because at least now there was only a skeleton crew around the base and he didn't have to acknowledge a soldier on every corner of the corridors. Balancing his tray with blue and red jello, two cups of coffee and a piece of pie in his hands, he continued his way back to the infirmary. He and the Doc had been going over the last few months before Sam had been abducted and one of the nurses was examining Sam in the meantime. They'd taken a break so he could get them something to eat and drink – well, Sam only wanted jello – before continuing. Once he reached the infirmary he immediately went to Janet's office. "Hey Doc, got you a piece of pie or the red jello – they were the only things left – and a cup of coffee. Where is Sam?"

Janet immediately took a sip of the black liquid, enjoying the taste as well as needing the caffeine shot. "I gave her a sedative."

"Why?"

"She needed to rest, Sir and she couldn't stop thinking long enough to close her eyes and lie down."

"I'll be right back," he mumbled, getting up with the blue jello in one hand. He placed the cup and spoon on her nightstand and kissed her forehead. The Doc was right; Sam was tired and she needed her rest if those dark circles under her eyes were anything to go by. He was still freaking out over this whole thing, it all felt so surreal and he couldn't imagine what she must be going through. No doubt she'd be blaming herself for something that wasn't her fault, for not remembering such a crucial thing –  _person_ , he corrected himself. Brushing her bangs out of her face, he walked back to the office.

"The lab just called," Janet said the moment he sat down. "The blood work isn't done yet, but the fluids on the tissues were analyzed; I'm sorry, Sir, but we were right."

Jack closed his eyes and tried to calm himself, process this new information. Or rather, confirmation. After all, hadn't he  _known_  the minute Sam panicked and he'd seen it with his own eyes? It had happened in the past with Sara, when she had been breastfeeding Charlie and he doubted Sam would  _suddenly_  lactate without any reason. "Christ," he muttered under his breath. He didn't know what to do now, how to feel. Should he be happy, knowing that Sam had most likely given birth to their baby somewhere in this galaxy and that Ba'al probably still had the child? The idea of Ba'al having anyone's child sickened him, but to know that he had  _his_  child, stolen it from them was almost too much. Janet had already made the calculations and if the entire pregnancy had progressed naturally, the child was definitely his and Sam's. Even taking in all the possibilities, she'd also suggested that it hadn't been that long ago that Sam had given birth. It may have been the reason – her motivation – to escape only to end up alone, without the baby and her memory on that gateless planet where Reynolds had found her.

Janet fidgeted with the cord from the telephone, not knowing what to say. She'd just – more or less – told one of her good friends that he was a father to a child they hadn't known the existence of. They didn't even know where to  _begin_  looking for the baby with Ba'al hiding out in one of his secret bases, playing hide and seek with his clones all over this galaxy. Was she supposed to congratulate her friends because they finally had a child together, the epitome of their strong love for each other? Or should she tell him how sorry she was about the news? After all, how can anyone – especially someone with Jack O'Neill's past – be happy knowing that he had a child out there somewhere in the hands of one of his worst enemies? A child his wife didn't remember carrying, giving birth to. They didn't even know if it was a boy or a girl! "Perhaps it's time to inform General Landry and the President, Sir."

He grimaced, dragging a hand through his hair as he leaned back in his chair. "What about Daniel and Teal'c? T said they'd beam back here from the party in DC. Do you know if they stayed on base?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I ran into them right after they got here. Daniel had been drinking and decided to stay on base to work on some translations in the morning and Teal'c, well, he's not leaving the planet just yet. Something tells me he's staying here until he knows Sam is doing better or if he gets word from the Free Jaffa that they've spotted Ba'al."

"Good, I want them to be there as well. They need to know too."

She nodded and grabbed the phone. "I'll call them right now while you contact General Landry and the President. Sam will be out for a few more hours, but I don't think she needs to be there anyway. She's already heard much of it and the confusion and everything is taking its toll on her, I'm afraid."

"Yeah," Jack agreed, "she already was pretty tired when we got back from the party."

"Oh,  _really_?" Janet asked, raising a brow while she dialed Daniel's room. "Apparently not too tired," she muttered under her breath.

"Hey, I'm only human Doc," Jack replied, getting up from his seat. "I'll be in the briefing room."

* * *

"And you're sure about this?" Daniel asked, finally breaking the silence.

"Yes Daniel, as sure as I can be without knowing what happened to Sam while she was missing," Janet replied, glad to hear everyone was finally coming out of the shock. She realized how shocking it must be – hell,  _she_  was shocked – but after calling Daniel and Teal'c, she'd gone to retrieve the report analysis from the lab and she was now even more certain.

"God, I can't believe this," he muttered, glancing at Jack. "I-I really don't know what to say, Jack."

"Do not worry O'Neill. We will find Ba'al and retrieve the child," Teal'c's tone of voice was quiet but resolved.

Jack nodded absentmindedly. He didn't even know what to think or say, so he could only imagine what his friends were thinking.

"What about Colonel Carter?"

Janet turned towards the video screen to face the President. He had insisted on hearing the full story and thus they were using the videoconference screen. "I haven't been able to tell her about the lab results yet, Mr. President," she started, "but she was quite shocked after our first conversation. After a quick exam I gave her a sedative to relax her while General O'Neill and I continued, Sir."

"I see, when will she wake up?"

"Not for at least four more hours, Sirs."

"You know," Daniel started, feeling like he had an epiphany. "This actually makes a lot of sense!"

"Yeah, the Doc already told us that, Daniel," Jack rolled his eyes, annoyed by his excited voice.

He shook his head and held up his hand. "I don't mean medically speaking. I was talking about Sam and Ba'al. Didn't the clone say that Ba'al wanted Sam as the new host for his queen?"

"Don't remind me," he scowled.

"No,  _think_!" Daniel looked around the table expectantly. Meeting only blank faces, he sighed. "When Sha- _Amaunet_ ," he corrected himself, "was pregnant Apophis sent her away in hiding, remember?"

Jack shrugged, reminded of that particular event and how much it had hurt Daniel to see his wife pregnant with another man's child. "Yeah, so?"

"Sha're told us that Amaunet had to go in some sort of sleep state to prevent a rejection of the child or a premature birth and that she was in full control," he summarized, ignoring the pain he felt from the memory.

"Of course!" Janet exclaimed. "Ba'al couldn't use Sam as a host because she was already pregnant!"

"Indeed, the symbiote would most likely reject the human as a vessel," Teal'c added.

Realizing they were on to something, Jack felt himself agreeing. "Which would be another reason for Sam to try and get out of there as soon as she was able."

"She was probably guarded most of the time and I doubt she would've been able to get very far while highly pregnant," Hank Landry mentioned. "She must have known that once the baby was born Ba'al would try again; after all, she's already proven to be suitable as a host with Jolinar."

"But maybe the snake wouldn't want her because of that… stuff left inside of her?"

Janet frowned at the President's words and opened the file in front of her. "No Sir, I don't think so. The Goa'uld in Steveston didn't mind her as a host."

"Well, they were immature and cloned, right?" Daniel asked from memory. He'd been on a higher plane of existence at the time but had read all the reports from the time he'd been gone.

"Indeed," Teal'c inclined his head in acknowledgement. "However that does not mean they did not have the knowledge of all the Goa'uld that came before them."

"Right," he mumbled. "Probably would've been just as picky."

"Either way," Janet wanted to get back to the topic at hand, "the baby is probably the reason Sam didn't end up as Ba'al's queen."

"The timeline fits?" Hank asked, looking from Jack to the doctor. "You know, with the…."

Janet nodded, holding up the file. "Yes Sir, General O'Neill and I have gone over the last few weeks before Sam disappeared and the time of conception coincides with, ah… her downtime. I've also had a chance to look at the report from the lab before coming here and it lists the components of the milk. I know this is not my area of expertise, however I do know that it indicates that this is not just the milk but probably the last of the colostrum."

"You lost me, Doctor," Henry Hayes admitted via the video link.

Looking up, Janet noticed all the puzzled faces around the table.  _Right, men…_ "The colostrum is the first milk a baby receives and it's full of white blood cells, several antibodies, prolactin, lactoferrin, complement, cytokines, growth factors and very rich in protein. Ah," she stammered a bit realizing they were still staring at her, "mostly components of the immune system to protect the baby until it has its own immune system. Compared to normal milk it also contains lower amounts of carbohydrates, lipids and potassium. Over the first two weeks of the birth the colostrum production gives way for mature breast milk and the test results show the end of that transition, which would put Sam in the last phase of lactogenesis. All of this means that the delivery has been very recent and due to her malnutrition and physical condition the process was probably halted or at least slowed until she recovered."

"This would further prove that the child is indeed O'Neill and Colonel Carter's offspring," Teal'c concluded.

"Well, I think I can safely say that we will have to make have to prioritize the goals of the SGC to capturing Ba'al or one of his clones  _and_  find baby O'Neill," Henry remarked. "Teal'c are the Free Jaffa still pursuing Ba'al?"

"Many of our Jaffa are continuing the search for Ba'al, his planets and secret facilities but we have not been able to complete our earlier pursuit and are unaware of his current whereabouts."

"Jack, you will confer with the NID to see what they know in the morning."

"Yes Sir, Mr. President," Jack nodded, still slightly dazed by today's events. "After that Hank and I will discuss our next plan of action and we will try to contact our allies."

"Very well, good luck and keep me posted. Good luck people," Henry said before the screen went black.

"We're going to need it," Daniel mumbled, still trying to process the idea of Sam and Jack having a baby.

"Yes, well, I think it's safe to say that we can all use some rest before getting up in a few hours. Jack, why don't you and Colonel Carter use one of the VIP rooms?"

"Thanks Hank," Jack replied and got up from his chair. "I'll go see how Sam is doing."

Janet jumped up from her seat as well and quickly gathered her papers. "I'll go with you, Sir."


	21. Dealing

Jack nodded as Agent Barrett rambled on through the phone. "Yeah, I see," he replied, cutting the younger man off. "Alright, I will keep you posted," he concluded before hanging up. "Thanks for nothing – again," he mumbled to the empty room. Letting out a deep sigh, he dragged his hand through his hair as he leaned back in the chair. The NID obviously wasn't very helpful in their hunt for Ba'al or any of his clones. Jack had called them first thing this morning, using Sam's old – and still empty – lab now that he didn't really have an office at the SGC anymore. Most of the information Barrett had given him was outdated or not helpful – or both. They had been looking for the presence of Ba'al and his clones on Earth for months, even before Sam had been abducted and they'd only captured that one clone in all that time – and he escaped! There weren't many leads for anything else and the consensus was that either they were hidden extremely well or just not on this planet anymore. So, not really useful at all.

"Jack?"

He stood from the lab chair and stretched his tall frame, before beckoning Daniel in. "Yeah?"

"I thought I might find you here," he replied, padding over to Sam's old desk. "Did you contact Malcolm Barrett?"

Jack nodded and fiddled with the cord of the telephone. "Nothing useful, what else is new?"

"Well, I sent out a message for the Tok'ra and the Asgard," Daniel replied, shifting on his feet. "Where is Sam?"

He shrugged, looking up as he stopped fiddling. "She was still in her room when I got up."

"What room?" He frowned. Hadn't Landry told them to stay in one of the VIP rooms last night?

"In the infirmary," he explained, waving his hand around in a vague gesture. "She was still asleep when the Doc and I checked on her earlier and she refused to come with me to the VIP room this morning."

"Why?"

"How should I know, Daniel?"

Daniel sighed and pushed his glasses up as he studied his friend. He looked tired and weary, no wonder really with the discovery they had done; Daniel couldn't imagine what he must be going through, knowing he had a child out there somewhere! He himself had been almost obsessed with finding Shifu because of his promise to Sha're and that wasn't even his own flesh and blood! Not to mention the grief Jack had already gone through with his son, Charlie. It didn't bear thinking what Jack might do if they couldn't find the baby!  _No! I mustn't think like that_ , he told himself. They would find Ba'al, find the child and discover what had happened to Sam during those months! "Well, you are married to her. Did you ask?"

"Of course I asked," Jack barked, slamming his hand on the desk. "Look, just," he sighed, closing his eyes momentarily. "She's not very talkative," he elaborated, "and just wants to stay in bed."

"Oh," he mumbled, rubbing his chin pensively. That didn't sound very good. "Maybe I should check up on her?"

"Sure, whatever," he replied absentmindedly, his thoughts on Sam and their baby. Not being talkative was probably an understatement, but he wasn't sure what to think. Maybe she just needed some time and space, he knew he did. "I have to go talk to Landry about our search."

"Okay, well, I'll drop by the infirmary to see Sam," Daniel told him as he made his way over to the corridor. He heard Jack mumbled something that could've been a goodbye or his assent, he didn't know but figured the man needed some space. He himself was supposed to be working, but… the few drinks he'd had at the President's party combined with the few hours he'd been able to sleep had been interfering with his ability to translate. Therefore, Daniel decided that he could use a break, get some coffee in the cafeteria before going over to the infirmary. He still had some questions for Janet too. After that, he'd try to translate the tablet again and if it would take him too long he'd hand it over to one of his colleagues to be able to focus all his attention and focus on finding Ba'al and the baby.

He slowly made his way over to the elevator and found it empty. Thankful for the lack of company, he slumped down against the wall and yawned loudly, not trying to cover his mouth with his hand. Coffee, he needed a cup of coffee! Maybe he should bring Sam one too? It may perk her up a bit or at least make her less inclined to stay in bed. "Oh right," he mumbled, realizing he'd forgotten to press the button to get the car moving. Reaching out, Daniel pressed for level 22. Coffee first, Sam after. As soon as the elevator stopped, he leaped out and thanked the gods there was no line waiting and immediately reached for the coffee. The smell of it alone made him feel wide awake and he remembered to grab another cup of coffee – black – for Sam.

Deciding some exercise would be good for him, he used the stairs instead of the elevator – after all, it was only one floor – to go to the infirmary. He almost bumped into Janet though, who apparently had the same idea. "Whoa!"

"Oh, sorry Daniel, I wasn't really paying attention," she apologized, giving him a small smile.

"Yes, I can see that," he replied, motioning towards the file she was reading with his cup of coffee.

Janet looked up and held up the file. "The blood results from Sam. I was just on my way to see if General O'Neill was still in her old lab?"

"Ah, I think he went to see General Landry," Daniel told her. "I just came from there and he'd just finished phoning the NID."

"Oh, any news?"

"Nothing useful," he shook his head. "Jack told me Sam didn't want to talk?"

"Yeah," Janet sighed, reaching for his elbow to pull him along while making her way over to Sam's room. If the General wasn't available, the results could wait – it wasn't like there was anything there that could tell them more than they already knew. "She hardly gets out of the bed and when she answers, it's only 'yes' or 'no.' It scares me," she confessed, glancing up at him.

"What do you mean?"

She stopped walking and glanced around to make sure no one overheard them. "She's too quiet, Daniel. It reminds me from that time after Jolinar," she whispered.

"Oh," he looked at her alarmed. That was definitely not good! "Are you saying she's depressed?"

"No," Janet hastened herself to say. "But she's definitely down and a bit gloomy. It's not like I can blame her, but this isn't helping her state of mind."

Daniel nodded and squeezed her arm. "I know, don't worry, we won't let that happen."

She smiled as she led the way to Sam's room and quietly opened the door to peek inside. Seeing that her patient lying on her side, back towards them Janet beckoned Daniel inside and walked over to the bed. "Sam?"

"Hey, I brought you coffee," Daniel tried, walking around the bed to face his friend. "Here, black just the way you like it," he placed the cup on the side table and pulled up a chair.

"I'll leave you two alone and go make my rounds," Janet said as Sam didn't react to Daniel other than glancing at him briefly. "After that I'll try to find General O'Neill to tell him about the blood tests and then I'll check on you again."

"Okay, bye Janet," Daniel felt himself compelled to say when Sam just lay there. "So, what have you been up to?"

* * *

Jack was pacing the briefing room as Doc Fraiser was explaining the test results from the blood. So far he hadn't really heard anything new; Sam had been pregnant and had given birth recently, that was all they could tell.

"Sam was on downtime five weeks before she went missing," Janet continued, looking at General Landry and Teal'c. "And she also spent the weekends before that with General O'Neill," she tried to find the right words but figured they were all adults here and they would know what she meant. "Anyway, that means that she could have gotten pregnant during her downtime or even before and simply didn't notice or realize it. Assuming that she indeed got pregnant during her downtime, that would mean – combined with the test results – that she most likely carried the baby almost full term."

"That is good news is it not?" Teal'c questioned, glancing from the doctor to O'Neill.

"Oh yeah," Jack remarked sarcastically, "it means Ba'al has a healthy little baby to do with whatever he pleases."

"Come on, Jack," Hank tried, looking at his old buddy. "We don't know that."

"We don't know  _anything_ ," he reminded them. "Walter," he turned to the Chief Master Sergeant who walked up the stairs, "is there any word from the Asgard? Or even the Tok'ra for that matter?"

"Ah, no Sir," Walter stammered slightly, knowing how upset General O'Neill was. He couldn't blame the man! The grapevine was working on full capacity and almost everyone at the SGC already knew about the baby. He remembered the shock on some people's faces when they had finally been able to confirm General O'Neill and Colonel Carter were married! However, this was not the way everyone had wanted to find out. Those two deserved a whole lot more for what they'd done on SG-1! "It has only been a few hours, Sir."

"Indeed, O'Neill."

"Sir, why don't you take a seat and calm down," Janet suggested cautiously. "All this stress isn't good for you and it won't help Sam or the baby."

Jack sighed, rolled his eyes but did as the petite doctor said and sat down in one of the chairs. "What about you Teal'c?"

"I have spoken to Master Bra'tac and we have addressed the leaders of the Free Jaffa on several planets. They are aware of our quest for Ba'al and are willing to support the Tau'ri in the retrieval of your child."

"Good," he mumbled, glancing around the room. "Hank and I have discussed the situation with the President and the JCS this morning."

Hank Landry grabbed some papers from the file in front of him and cleared his throat. "Now that things are relatively peaceful in the galaxy we have decided to send out SG-2, -3, -4, -12, -13, -16 and -22 for recon of known locations from Ba'al and SG-6, -8 and 9 to visit friendly worlds to inquire about Ba'al's whereabouts. Finding Ba'al, his clones and, more importantly, Baby O'Neill has become our top priority."

"Indeed," Teal'c intoned, dismayed by the idea of Ba'al having the child of his two comrades. However, it was more fruitful if the Goa'uld had the child with him as it would make locating the infant less difficult. After all, an arrogant Goa'uld posing as a God was far more noticeable than a small baby.

"I will notify the team leaders in another briefing at 1300 hours," Hank concluded, packing up his papers.

Janet quickly stood at attention but Jack made a dismissive wave with his hand, urging her to stand down. "I guess I'll go see where Sam is," he remarked to no one in particular.

"I'll go with you, Sir," Janet chimed in as she followed him out of the briefing room. "I told Daniel and Sam I'd be back after informing you of the test results."

"Daniel is still with her?"

She pushed the button for the elevator and looked up at him. "I assume so, Sir. She wasn't very talkative as you'd already noticed and Daniel was determined to try and talk to her. I got the impression he'd stay there until I got back."

Jack shrugged and stepped into the elevator as the doors opened. "Okay." Seeing Teal'c striding towards them, he held the door after the Doc had joined him. "Going somewhere T?"

"Indeed," he bowed slightly in acknowledgement as he stepped into the car. "I will endeavor to return to the Free Jaffa as I had agreed upon with Master Bra'tac. It will ensure our goals will be pursued in view of the fact that there is nothing I can do from here."

"Good point," Jack mumbled and watched him press the button for level 25. "Going to pack up your things, then?"

"Indeed."

"I hope you will be able to get a lead soon," Janet told the Jaffa.

"As do I," he replied as the elevator stopped and he exited the car. "I will visit Colonel Carter in the infirmary before I take my leave."

"We'll see you there," Jack shouted as the doors closed on him and Teal'c walked away.

"Sir, how are you holding up?" Janet asked cautiously, knowing that no one would overhear them here. Seeing him shrug, she reached out to touch his arm. "With all due respect, General; don't give me that crap. I know you better than that and I know Sam's condition is no picnic and can only imagine how difficult it must be for you after everything you have gone through," she dared a glance at him. He was giving her his blank expression but his eyes were darker than usual, but she wasn't about to give up. "Now this has – thankfully – come to light and I can't even begin to understand how this must affect you, especially after Charlie," she added, almost whispering.

Jack sighed and stuffed his hands in his pockets as he looked at the woman next to him. He knew what she was trying to do and that she simply wanted to help him, be a friend, but he really wasn't capable of talking about this. Not now, at least. He didn't even know exactly how he felt, let alone be able to put it into words for someone else. All he needed right now was Sam and their baby. He knew he had to believe that Janet was right; that it was  _their_  child and not some sick and twisted experiment by Ba'al. "Look, Janet," he tried, rocking on his feet. "I know… all that, but I," he sighed again, dragging a hand through his hair. "Well, to be honest, I have no idea. I just need some time and space."

"That I can help you with," she smiled at him as the doors opened and they walked out.

He smirked and let her lead the way, hoping Sam was feeling better but somehow doubting it. His own feelings were totally messed up and knowing Sam, she'd be even worse off. In particular because she couldn't remember any of it, for which she was probably blaming herself.

* * *

Daniel fiddled with his glasses as he stared at Sam's back. She had hardly said a word to him the entire time he was here and had only responded the way Janet had predicted. Well, on the few times he'd almost pressured her to say something, that is. "Sam? You know Janet is going to be back any minute now," he tried getting her attention but she wasn't responding. "Jack will probably be by soon, too."

He saw a minute shrug from her shoulders and let out an exasperated sigh. "Sam, we're here to help you, be there for you. Talk to me, please?"

"Just go away, Daniel," she mumbled, her voice muffled by her pillow. "I'm tired, I want to sleep."

"Fine, whatever you want," he replied, defeated. Getting up he walked around the bed and pressed a kiss on her head. "Just know that you can talk to me whenever you want, okay?"

"Okay. Bye," she rolled onto her back, letting him know the conversation was over.

With one last glance at his best friend, Daniel walked to the door and left her alone. He'd been trying to get her to talk to him, but it was almost like the more he said the quieter she got. Sam had always been stubborn and pushing her to talk certainly had never helped in the past – quite the opposite actually – but he couldn't just let this slide. As if losing her memories wasn't bad enough, now she had found out about the baby! It was just too big for her to handle on her own! He feared that if he simply let her be she'd go back to being as depressed, if not more when Jolinar had died. It had taken Cassie and a lot of talking and simply being there for her to help her get over that. Although he had to admit she'd never truly gotten over that experience, he knew that, but that wasn't very strange considering the memories the Tok'ra had left her with. "Jack, Janet!" He exclaimed, seeing them round the corner.

"Daniel, how is she?" Janet asked, walking up to him quickly.

"Ah," he looked back to Jack and shrugged. "She's hardly said a word and told me just now that she wanted to sleep, so I left her alone."

Jack grimaced, having noticed the apologetic look his friend sent him and wondered if he should go in and disturb Sam anyway.  _For better or worse_ , he told himself, taking a deep breath. "I'll go in, Landry wanted to talk to you about the briefing Daniel."

"Okay, good luck," he told him before walking away.

Janet watched him go and glanced at the door. "I'll go with you to check her blood pressure and give her the medication she left in DC," she told the General. "I'm sure you can use some time alone after that."

He didn't say anything, just opened the door and walked inside. "Hey Sam," he greeted her, immediately feeling a pang when she rolled on her side with her back to him at hearing his voice. "Sam?"

Slowly padding over to the bed, Janet's eyes darted between her two friends, feeling like an intruder. She had already made sure there was no CCTV in this room to give Sam at least the semblance of some privacy. "I just want to check your blood pressure," she informed Sam as she walked around the bed and slipped the sphygmomanometer around her upper arm. "I'll make sure the nurse who brings you your lunch will include the medication I had prescribed for you. I assume you didn't take it with you before you beamed over here?"

"No, left it in Washington," Sam muttered, glancing up at Janet's face. She could sense Jack's looming presence behind her, but she couldn't face him now. Not after everything they had found out. He was probably mad at her and she couldn't blame him. She deserved his anger and probably a whole lot more! His life had been hard enough without her; losing his son, divorcing his first wife because of that loss and then all the work he'd done – from black ops to SG-1. She instinctively knew that she had hurt him in the past. How could she not have if they'd loved each other for years before finally doing something about it? It couldn't have been the frat regs alone, she couldn't imagine that she found those more important than the man she loved. And she knew she really loved him, she could feel it! No, she had hurt him during those years they'd only worked together and then when she finally let him into her life, she'd gotten abducted and lost not only her memory but their  _child_! She couldn't comprehend how he was able to be in the same room with her right now. Well, without yelling at her that is. He must have an extremely strong self-control to be able to wait until they were alone. "Look, I'm really tired and want to sleep."

"Sam," Jack groaned, reaching out his hand to touch her shoulder. He almost jumped back when she winced at the contact. "Talk to me, Sam," he mumbled, seeing the Doc leave them alone from the corner of his eye.

* * *

"Teal'c!" Daniel greeted his friend as the elevator doors opened at level 25.

"Daniel Jackson," he replied, dipping his head. "I must take my leave."

"What, where are you going?"

"I shall return to the Free Jaffa and ensure the pursuit of Ba'al is our priority. Master Bra'tac and myself have already communicated with other leaders of the Free Jaffa on several planets and they are in agreement that we must support the Tau'ri in the retrieval of the child and the capture of the Goa'uld."

"Oh, of course," Daniel replied, realizing how much sense that made. He shouldn't be surprised, though, after all Teal'c was very wise. "I was about to go see General Landry, Jack told me he wanted to fill me in on the briefing."

"Indeed."

"Sam isn't doing too well, Teal'c."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and turned to his friend. "What is wrong with Colonel Carter?"

He shrugged and creased his brows. "I don't know for sure, but I think she's feeling guilty about what happened."

"Such feelings are preposterous as it was the Goa'uld Ba'al who orchestrated the events and held her captive. It was not her doing."

Daniel heard the disdain in his voice, knowing it was because of what Ba'al had done to Sam and the subsequent feelings she was now having. "I know and I tried telling her that, but I'm not even sure she was listening. She hardly said a word."

"That is most unfortunate."

"Indeed," he agreed. "Well, this is my stop. Don't leave until we say goodbye, okay Teal'c?"

"Very well."

Daniel waited for the elevator doors to close again, before making his way to the briefing room. He could see General Landry sitting behind his desk in his office and strode offer to knock on the door.

"Enter!"

He peeked inside. "General? Jack told me you wanted to see me?"

"Ah," Hank smiled at him and got up from his chair. "Doctor Jackson, please have a seat. As you know we had a briefing while you were staying with Colonel Carter – how is she by the way?"

Daniel plopped down on the chair and looked at the base commander. "I'm not sure. She isn't talking and I'm afraid she's feeling guilty, which makes no sense but try telling her that. Janet is afraid she'll slip into a depression if she keeps this up, but I'm hopeful it won't come to that."

"I'm very sorry to hear that," he replied, frowning as he sat down. "It's understandable, though. I mean, I can't imagine what it's like to find out you have a child and Ba'al has it! I'm not very close to my daughter, but I don't even want to think about losing her," he mused aloud.

"Yeah, I know," Daniel sighed.

"Anyway," Hank realized they needed to change the subject before they got depressed. "Doctor Fraiser told us about the test results, Teal'c informed us about his meeting with the Free Jaffa and their support-"

"I already know all that, they told me," he interrupted him.

Hank bobbed his head and reached for the file he'd had with him during the briefing. "This is a list of teams and what their mission will be. The President, the JCS, Jack and I are all in agreement that the SGC and HWS's top priority is locating Ba'al and retrieving the baby. If we are able, we'd like to capture Ba'al alive – so the Tok'ra can extract the symbiote from the host. If not, that's too bad. Collateral damage and all that," he made a vague hand gesture.

"Of course," Daniel said even if he was surprised by the last part. The way Landry spoke reminded him once again that he and Jack most likely didn't know each other from their time at the Academy… and knowing Jack had been in Special and Black Ops…. "Wait," he remarked, having scanned the list. "Why isn't SG-1 assigned to this?"

"With all due respect, Doctor Jackson," Hank placed his elbows on the desk and leaned forward. "SG-1 as we know it is gone."

"What?"

He shrugged and leaned back. "Well, Colonel Carter is in no physical shape to command the team – not to mention her recent mental state. Teal'c is going to the Free Jaffa this afternoon. Jack left the team long ago. And you, well, you were supposed to go to Atlantis months ago!"

"I know, but I didn't go when Sam went missing."

"I know that too, Doctor Jackson. However, I'm sure you can understand my dilemma?"

"Yes, General, I can," he admitted, realizing for the first time how many changes they had all undergone in the last year! "If that was all, I'd like to go back to see if Jack was able to talk to Sam."

"Of course, go! I have a briefing with the team leaders," he tapped on the file containing the designated teams, "in a little over an hour and I haven't had lunch yet."


	22. The Odds Are Against Us

"Unscheduled off world activation!"

Jack slightly turned his chair so he could see into the gate room from his seat in the briefing room. He wasn't the base commander anymore so he wasn't needed in the control room. He watched Hank get up and walk over to the spiral staircase to see what was going on and he decided to wait for him to return. It had been two days since they'd assigned the teams and no one was due back yet. SG-3 – the original team plus Lt. Hailey – had already returned from their recon of Tartarus late last night and they were supposed to start their debriefing in ten minutes.

_"General O'Neill to the control room, General O'Neill to the control room!"_

He arched an eyebrow hearing Walter over the PA but, seeing no one had come through the gate yet did as requested and jogged down the stairs. "Is there an IDC?" He questioned, joining Hank Landry behind Walter's console.

"Not yet, Jack. But I figured you might want to be here instead of waiting for me in the briefing room."

He shrugged. "Walter?"

"Nothing has entered the wormhole yet, Sir. Ah, Sirs."

"No one is due back yet, right Hank?"

Hank shook his head; six of his teams were off world doing recon on known locations of Ba'al – planets formerly under his control – and two more teams were visiting friendly worlds to inquire about Ba'al. Granted, SG-3 had returned from Tartarus ahead of schedule too, but that was simply because they hadn't detected any life signs. "No, SG-2 is supposed to be the first one back and they still have," he checked his watch, "four more hours."

"We're receiving an IDC, Sirs," Walter exclaimed once the computer processes the incoming signal. "It's Teal'c's personal IDC."

"Open her up, Walter," Jack exclaimed, waving towards the iris.

Hank nodded and waited for his Chief Master Sergeant to open the iris, while keeping an eye on the gate. Teal'c had left two days ago, after visiting Colonel Carter in the infirmary and packing up his things to join the Free Jaffa in their search for Ba'al. They hadn't expected him back yet, considering the Free Jaffa had lost their target a few weeks ago around the same time Reynolds had found Colonel Carter again. "I hope he has a lead or something," he mumbled to no one in particular.

Jack made a beeline for the gate room once Teal'c stepped through the event horizon. After the blast doors opened, he opened his arms. "Teal'c, buddy, we didn't expect to hear from you so soon!"

"Nor had I foreseen that I would return with new information within in such a short amount of time, O'Neill."

_"Why don't you two join me and SG-3 in the briefing room?"_

Hearing the base commander's voice over the intercom, Teal'c glanced up at the control room to see General Landry and Colonel Reynolds standing beside Chief Master Sergeant Harriman and dipped his head in acquiescence. "Very well."

Gesturing him to lead the way, Jack followed the Jaffa upstairs. He was a bit anxious to learn what kind of information Teal'c had returned with, knowing that he wouldn't have come back if it wasn't important. "SG-3 has already returned from Tartarus and their debriefing was planned for, well… now, actually," he told him as they entered the briefing room and sat down.

"Okay people, let's get this show on the road," Hank said when everyone was seated. "Colonel Reynolds why don't you and your team start your debriefing and then we'll hear what Teal'c has to tell us."

"Should we not wait for Colonel Carter to join us?" Teal'c inquired, glancing around the table.

"She's ah, resting," Jack explained, giving him a look.

Teal'c merely raised an eyebrow in acknowledgement and waited for Colonel Reynolds to give a brief summary of their reconnaissance of the planet Tartarus. He suspected all was not well with Colonel Carter. O'Neill had not spoken of it yet one did not live for over one hundred years without understanding forms of communication other than the spoken word. Not when one was a Jaffa warrior, trained by the legendary Master Bra'tac. He was concerned for his friends; after living in the service of a false god for far too many years he had seen and done despicable things but not once had he encountered a situation similar to this. Few of the false gods took the offspring of their human slaves to train them as lo'taur, to teach them loyalty to no one but their God from early on in their development. However, he had not come across a Goa'uld who abducted a human, stole their offspring and memory and left them to die without a true purpose. Perhaps they merely had not yet an understanding of Ba'al's true motives.

"Well, Sirs," Albert Reynolds started, glancing to both generals, wondering which one he should be addressing; Landry was his CO but Jack O'Neill was his CO's CO and someone he counted as a friend after their years together in the SGC. "We left approximately forty hours ago for the planet known as Tartarus. As the MALP data had indicated the atmosphere and everything had not changed since SG-1 had visited Anubis' secret base when he was producing the Kull Warriors there. However, the UAV  _did_ show certain data in the near vicinity of the base and once we stepped out of the gate we, well… Lieutenant Hailey that is was able to use the computers Anubis had left behind to scan the entire planet. That also suggested there were life signs in a twelve mile radius from the base.

"We split up, Penhall and Mooney went south, Hailey stayed at the base and Johnson and I went north. We swept the area in a fifteen mile radius and eventually Mooney and Penhall ran into some of the Free Jaffa- or, I should say  _Rebel_  Jaffa. Apparently they had been stuck on the planet for quite some time, Sirs with nowhere to go because they couldn't dial out after their ship was damaged when they'd gone over to the planet to launch a preemptive strike against the remaining Kull Warriors – which we all know was just a lure to get them away from Dakara. They hadn't even been aware of the rebellion and had been hiding out because of Ba'al's return a couple of months ago but they hadn't seen him for weeks now. When we reached the base in the morning, Hailey had been able to crack the security to make it able to dial out again. We left and the Jaffa said they would go back to Dakara. So," he sighed and leaned back, "it was practically a bust, with the exception of being able to help the Jaffa go back home."

"Okay, well I guess we couldn't expect results right away," Hank commented and glanced at the remaining members of SG-3 and Lt. Hailey. "Do any of you have something to add that is of importance and I should know about before getting your reports?"

"No Sir."

"Very well," he nodded. "What about you, Teal'c? Have you met these Jaffa already?"

"I have not, General Landry. However, we had already given up hope to see them again. I am pleased to hear they have survived and will return to rejoice in our liberation."

Jack leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table as he fidgeted with his pen and turned to Teal'c. "If that was all, how about you tell us what you've got?"

"Rak'nor contacted Master Bra'tac to inform him of activity near the planet he was guarding."

His eyebrows shot up. "You mean that planet where you left those Jaffa who'd sworn their allegiance to Ba'al, even after you offered them freedom?"

"Indeed," Teal'c replied in disgust. "Master Bra'tac told him to monitor the approaching alkesh, assuming they would contact the Jaffa on the planet and bring them to Ba'al or one of his clones."

Needing to know what the hell his friend had discovered, Jack prompted him to continue. "And...?"

"Rak'nor was able to follow the alkesh until it met up with a ha'tak and had to remain at safe distance to remain undetected," Teal'c continued in an even tone. "In the meantime one of our own alkeshes was sent to congregate with Rak'nor and his Jaffa for support. This morning Rak'nor and Aron both contacted us after having each followed an alkesh from the mothership. Ba'al's Jaffa were searching the planets known as P3X-367 and P3X-584."

"Isn't one of those where Nirrti turned those people into freaks?" Jack inquired, glancing around the table for someone to confirm or deny.

"Indeed."

His interest piqued, Hank turned to Teal'c. "What about the other planet?"

"Unverified information from uncertain origin suggests that it is one of the planets where Anubis had a secret laboratory," Teal'c relayed what Aron had told him.

Seeing Hank's puzzled frown, Jack leaned closer. "Rumor, Hank, it's a rumor. So, we don't know for sure, buddy?"

"Indeed we do not."

"Generals, Sirs, I would like to volunteer for recon of these planets," Albert Reynolds remarked when a silence fell. Glancing at his team, he smirked. "Me and my team, Sir."

"Yes Sir," the other members of SG-3 confirmed.

Jennifer Hailey, not one to be left out bobbed her head as well. "If it is one of Anubis or Nirrti's old labs I would like to accompany them, Sirs," she chimed in. She still didn't have a secure spot on a team but she'd been accompanying SG-3 ever since that mission where they found Colonel Carter. Jennifer was aware that Reynolds still hadn't forgiven her for her mistake – not identifying the naquadah signature as the Colonel's which cost them time the injured Carter didn't have – but that was okay; she understood, after all, she hadn't forgiven herself either.

Ignoring them, Jack drew Teal'c's attention. "What about your Jaffa, Teal'c?"

"They are awaiting further instructions, but they are not prepared to engage in battle at the moment." Their mission had only been reconnaissance; now that the Free Jaffa were a true nation they could not afford to blindly go into battle anymore. Master Bra'tac and himself had made sure everyone understood that and they were trying to change their modus operandi, in order to survive and remain free. His time with the Tau'ri had taught him many things and this was one of them.

"We would gladly join them, Sirs," Albert once again said. "I'll even take the kid with me," he nodded to Hailey. "I'm sure Anubis and Nirrti have some gizmos she'll like."

"Well, as far as we know Nirrti is dead," Jack replied, shrugging. "Those freaks she'd used as lab rats killed her and there wasn't a sarcophagus around – not that anyone would've helped her get in one if there was. I don't know what Ba'al would want with that planet-"

"Nirrti is not only ruthless and devious," Teal'c intoned, "but a scientist as well. Perhaps Ba'al is searching for one of her creations?"

"Teal'c," Hank said, after exchanging glances with Jack, "if it is alright with you and the rest of the Free Jaffa, we would like SG-3 to help with the recon of one or both of the planets."

"Very well," he bowed his head, already having discussed the matter with the other leaders of the Free Jaffa Nation. "We will leave immediately."

Seeing Reynolds' questioning look, Jack made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Go, gear up, SG-3. Hailey, you're with them in case there are security measures that need to be circumvented. Reynolds, you'll answer to Teal'c, understood?" Jack already knew that Teal'c would participate in this mission; after all, he wanted to catch Ba'al as much as he did and find the baby.

"Yes Sir," Albert nodded and followed Teal'c out of the room, assuming his team and Hailey would follow.

* * *

"Janet," Daniel called out when he saw her at the end of the corridor, ready to go into the elevator. "How is Sam?"

"Pretty much the same as the last few days," she sighed. "She is eating and drinking, though and finally moved to one of the VIP rooms last night."

"Well, that's something," he mumbled, pushing up his glasses. He'd only returned with SG-6 an hour ago to visit five friendly planets – amongst which were Amra and the planet where they left Colonel Maybourne – in forty-eight hours, to see if they knew anything about Ba'al's whereabouts. Unfortunately, no one had and it had basically been a waste of time. "What about Jack?"

Janet raised an eyebrow as they both stepped into the elevator. "The General is… his usual self. I know he visited Sam last night and is probably the reason she actually left the infirmary, but as far as I know he hasn't been very successful with her either."

"I saw him just now in the briefing room," he remarked, waving over his shoulder in the general direction of the briefing room.

She nodded and pressed the button for the infirmary. "Yes, he's debriefing SG-4; they came in about three hours ago. I already examined them and the Russians told me they had nothing either."

"It's just not fair," Daniel groaned, thinking of everything Sam and Jack had gone through over the years.

"I know," Janet replied, placing a soothing hand on his arm. "We'll find the baby, we always do, right?"

"Yeah," he grimaced. "Landry told Colonel Barnes that we didn't have to report to the infirmary right away. Is it okay if I visit Sam first?"

"Actually, I'd prefer you come by the infirmary first, so I can make sure you're not carrying any bugs on you. Sam is still recuperating physically and her current behavior isn't doing much for her health, either, so I don't want to risk infecting her to some alien bug, Daniel."

"Of course," he nodded and smiled sheepishly at her. "I'll hit the showers and be there in fifteen minutes."

"Okay," she gave him a small smile and stepped out of the elevator when they reached level twenty-one.

Only now did Daniel realize he'd forgotten to push the button and quickly touched the panel. As soon as he reached level twenty-five he went to the locker room to freshen up.

* * *

"So, how is your wife doing, Jack?" Hank asked when they had finally finished all the debriefings.

He shrugged and fiddled with the note pad in front of him. "Nothing much has changed," he admitted.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Me too," Jack snorted. "I guess I should be happy that she was at least willing to move out of the infirmary."

"Yes, Walter told me she's staying in one of the VIP rooms."

Jack nodded, still a bit hurt that Sam had requested a separate room last night. He just couldn't seem to get through to her; no matter what he said, she hardly responded. The last few days he wondered if perhaps it would be better if he gave her a bit of space, but wasn't that exactly what he'd been doing already? She still wasn't very vocal, unless she wanted him or someone else to leave. He'd asked Janet two days ago if perhaps he should visit more, but that only seemed to have a contrary effect. He hated this. He wanted his wife, his Carter, his Sam back and instead she was slowly disappearing in front of him. She'd been retreating in her own little world, just like she had when Jolinar had died and she'd been stuck with memories of a life she hadn't lived. Back then he couldn't comfort her the way he wanted – he was still her CO and he wasn't even sure if she liked him more than a friend – and this time around she wouldn't  _let_  him comfort her the way he wanted. All he wanted was to hold her, to comfort her and be comforted by her; this was their child that was missing and he was hurting too. "I guess I should go check up on her. Don't disturb me unless one of the teams comes back ahead of schedule."

"Will do," Hank said, sorting his papers, "but there are only six more teams out there and we're not expecting anyone back until 0900 hours tomorrow. So, let's just hope they find something while we finish up here."

Pushing off against the table, Jack stood from his comfy chair and glanced down at the gate room. There was hardly any activity, but that wasn't very strange considering the lateness of the evening. He and Hank had dinner in the commissary a few hours ago before Daniel had returned with SG-4. So far, only Teal'c and SG-3 might have a lead worth investigating and he hoped to God that they'd find something. "See you in the morning, Hank."

"Have a goodnight, Jack," he responded, walking back into his office.

* * *

"Please Sam," Daniel tried again after she sat up with her back to him. He'd been in here for an hour and she'd hardly said a word, albeit a bit more than the previous times he'd been visiting. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now, but I want to be here for you as your friend. We all want to be here for you."

"Look," she sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. "I don't want to talk about it, Daniel. I just want to be left alone."

His eyebrows shot up in surprise; this was the first time she'd actually spoken two sentences. "Why?" He asked softly as he walked around the bed and pulled up a chair to face her.

"Why?" She repeated, glaring at him. Didn't he understand?

"Yes, please explain it to me," he replied in his most innocent tone.

Sam bit her lip to keep her nasty comment to herself and looked at him. She figured he was just trying to help, like he'd been doing ever since she got back without her memories – as Jack had explained to her before they'd found out about the baby. "I just have a lot on my mind and-"

"Do you?" Daniel retorted, leaning back in his chair as he crossed his arms. "Have a lot on your mind, I mean."

"Yes," she said through gritted teeth. "I may not have my memories," she narrowed her eyes at him, "but there is a lot I have to deal with."

"Like what?"

Sam gasped, staring at him in confusion. "Are you serious?"

He bobbed his head as he focused his attention on her. "Yes," he drawled, wondering if she'd react the way he was hoping.

"For crying out loud, Daniel!" She exclaimed, jumping up from the bed. "I've been missing for almost eight months! The worst part about that is that I don't even  _remember_  it! I don't have any memories about my life before, I don't recognize my friends and family, not even my husband!" Sam took a deep breath as she towered over him. "No," she continued in a much softer voice, "that's not the worst part; the worst part is that I just found out I had a baby, a  _baby_ , Daniel! God, can't you see? Are you really that blind? I don't even  _remember_  being pregnant, giving birth…," her voice trailed off as she plopped back onto the bed, the energy to fight suddenly gone. Blinking her eyes, she looked up at him. "I don't even know what happened," Sam whispered hoarsely. "Not anything from those months, nothing about what happened to me or the baby. I didn't even know I had a baby…."

"I know," Daniel replied softly, reaching out to squeeze her knee to try and comfort her. On one hand he was happy that she was finally talking, letting it all out but on the other hand he didn't want her to hurt so much, to hear his best friend, whom he always looked up to and counted upon to be this though kickass soldier, be so sad and broken.

"Do you?" She whispered, almost sobbing. "Because I certainly don't."

It almost broke his heart to see her so defeated, her eyes brimming with tears and he knew there wasn't anything he could say to make this okay, to ease her pain. Her child was gone and as much as he wanted to believe it, he wasn't sure they'd ever find Ba'al. Even if they did, they couldn't be sure the baby was with him, if it was still alive. What if years from now they found the child? How would his friends cope with a child raised around such an evil being as Ba'al or any other Goa'uld? "Sam," he squeezed her knee again, not sure what he could or should say.

"You were all so convinced that I had escaped that man," she started, taking another deep breath before continuing. "That I had somehow known to get out of there, that I was smart enough to escape from his clutches… and now, now I don't know anymore. Did I escape him, Daniel? How could I do such a thing without the baby? I left him there," she frowned, looking at her hands, "him, her, it," she gave a mirthless chuckle. "I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl."

"Sam, that's not your fault," he replied, leaning forward to look her in the eye. "You didn't ask for any of this and-"

"How do you know that, Daniel? There is no evidence that this Ba'al did something to me to make me forget and even Dr. King said I was probably repressing the whole experience because it was too traumatic!"

"Yeah well, he doesn't know the things we do. He doesn't have clearance nor has any understanding about the technology Ba'al possesses."

" _I_  don't know the things you all know," she objected, wringing her hands.

"You will," Daniel said with as much conviction as he could muster, "you'll remember. But not if you're going to keep everyone at bay and stay in bed all day."

Sam closed her eyes, fighting the tears that were welling as she ran a hand through her still unfamiliar long hair. "I don't know what to do anymore," she admitted.

If he were honest, neither did he. All he'd wanted was to get her to talk about what was going on in that brilliant mind of hers and now that he finally had her talking, he wasn't sure what to do. "Just," he paused and pushed up his glasses as he frowned, trying to think of something… profound. Where was Teal'c when you needed him? "Just let us be here for you, Sam. We'll help you through this, we're friends, family! We all love you and we want to help you, but you have to let us."

"I know," she mumbled, keeping her eyes focused on her hands. "It's just so much and I don't want to be a burden," she tried to explain. "I don't want to have to ask for help," she mused aloud, realizing it was true.

"None of us do," Daniel smiled a bit. "Well, I have less problems with it than you or Jack and, well Teal'c… I don't think he ever asks for help. But it's okay to do so."

Sam nodded absentmindedly, hearing him talk but not quite listening as her mind was racing light-years a minute trying to think of her baby. The baby she and Jack had made… Jack, her husband.

"… and I know Jack does too."

"Huh, what?" She asked, snapping out of her musings by the mention of Jack's name.

Daniel sighed and shifted on his chair. "Sam," he realized she hadn't been listening for the last few minutes. Frustrated and tired from the last mission, he took of his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Jack wants to be here for you, too. He loves you and I know it hurts him not being able to comfort you," not that his friend would ever admit it, but he'd known the man for ten years.

"No!" Sam shook her head as she scooted further up the bed, leaning against the headboard sideways, still facing Daniel and the wall. "I can't."

"What, why not?" Sam had always confided in him and Daniel knew that was because they were good friends, but also because she couldn't take that step with Jack while he was her CO. When they'd finally gotten married he'd hoped she would be able to cross that self-imposed rule of hers, but also fearing to lose that bond with her at the same time. However, he knew that Sam needed Jack as much as Jack needed her and hoped they would get that kind of intimacy as well as the physical kind. Jack though, wasn't the type to wear his heart on his sleeve – although he'd managed to surprise Daniel on several occasions when it concerned Sam – and Daniel had suspected that maybe now Sam would open up to him instead of her husband.

But he hadn't expected her to react like this! Why couldn't she tell Jack? She'd already told him and he knew Jack could actually be very patient and considerate with her – as he'd proven ever since they found her again – so what was with her reaction? "Things were going good between you, right?" Daniel asked somewhat uncomfortable; he was an adult, he'd heard Janet's explanation about how they'd found out and he could definitely fill in the blanks – not that he wanted to think about his two friends like _that._ Seeing her nod slowly, he continued. "He loves you Sam, of course you should tell him."

"No," she shook her head again, adamant. "I can't, I hurt him."

"What are you talking about?"

Looking up, Sam saw his puzzled expression and knew he really didn't know what she was talking about. "Before, I hurt him. I know I did."

"Before what?"

She made an impatient gesture with her hand. "Before, well… everything! I could tell, I know I hurt him before I went missing, before we got married, before…" her voice trailed off when she saw sudden realization dawn on Daniel's face. "See! I knew it."

Daniel assumed she was referring to her engagement with Pete, that somehow Jack subconsciously gave her that idea or… whatever. He wasn't sure but he figured that was what she meant. "Well, I guess you two hurt each other over the years, but only because you love each other so much."

"I can't," Sam repeated again, drawing up her knees to hug them against her chest.

"Can't what?" Daniel asked, once again confused with the change of subject. "Can't talk to him?"

"He hates me, I know he does," she whispered, fighting her tears.

Shocked, he leaned forward. "Jack doesn't hate you, he loves you! You have no idea how worried he was when you were missing!"

Sam looked up at Daniel from underneath her lashes and gnawed her lip. Taking a deep breath, almost shaking with emotion she tried to explain. "I hurt him before," she started, "and I know it hurts him that I can't remember him or anything about our lives together. He told me about Charlie," she sniffled, rubbing her nose absently with her sleeve. "He must hate me for what happened."

"It wasn't your fault, Sam," Daniel tried again, still not sure what she was referring to and not knowing how to console or convince her.

"Do you know how many people tried to engage me into conversation since I got back?" Sam suddenly asked, finally lifting her head to look him in the eye. "They all told me they knew I'd get back, because Jack's rule is to never leave someone behind. I left his _child_  behind, Daniel!" She exclaimed in an angry tone, angry with herself for what she'd done. "After everything he's already gone through, losing Charlie, I left his baby behind with the man who abducted me! Who hates us! And I didn't even remember!"

Finally understanding, Daniel gasped with shock. He'd expected her to feel some misplaced guilt but never to this end! "No, Sam, that's not true!" He almost cried out when she started sobbing in earnest, her shoulders shaking.

* * *

Jack swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. He'd entered the room quietly about half an hour ago, just in case Sam was asleep; he didn't want to wake her. Much to his surprise she wasn't sleeping and Daniel had been carrying a chair around the bed to talk to her when he'd stepped into the doorway from the sleeping compartment. He'd been debating with himself whether he should go; he didn't want to invade their privacy as it seemed Daniel was finally getting Sam to talk. He knew she'd be upset if she'd see him eavesdropping on them. Jack had just decided to leave as quietly as he'd come in, when Daniel had looked up, seemingly unsurprised by his presence looming in the doorway. He'd grimaced, raised his eyebrows in a silent question and even pointed over his shoulder to silently inform his friend that he'd leave the two of them together to finish up the conversation; he realized that this was important, more important than him wanting to be the one to whom Sam would open up. Daniel, however had given him a minute shake of his head, indication that Jack should stay and listen.

Now, though, he couldn't stay silent, keep a safe distance by leaning in the doorway. Not when Sam was crying, with everything that apparently had been going through that pretty little head of hers! He cleared his throat awkwardly and took a tentative step into the room. "Sam," his voice was thick with emotion and he mentally shook himself as he walked up to the bed. Jack was pretty sure she hadn't even heard him through her crying, but Daniel had.

Daniel looked up at Jack, gave him an awkward smile – relieved that Sam had finally said what was on her mind and yet worried – and rose from his position. "I'll ah, leave you two alone," he said, darting out of the room before Sam could object.

"Sam," Jack tried again, his voice a bit louder this time. She startled and looked up at him with wide eyes, brimming with tears. "I don't blame you," he whispered, sinking down on the thin mattress as he scooted over to her.

Sam froze when she realized who Daniel was talking about and saw Jack standing in front of her. Had he heard? Was he going to tell her she was right, that he didn't want anything to do with her? "I-I'm so-so," she sobbed, "so sorry."

"C'mere," he mumbled, unable to say anything else faced with her raw emotions. She'd looked up at him as if he'd stricken her and he gently wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close against his chest. "God Sam, I can't believe you thought that I… that I'd, God," Jack stammered, shaking his head and tightening his hold on her as he felt her shaking in his arms. "I love you," he whispered into her hair. "I love you so much it hurts," he confessed, closing his eyes and focusing on her presence. "I don't blame you for what happened, I couldn't. You've done nothing wrong!"

"I left ou-our  _baby_ ," she sniffled against his shirt, not caring that she was soaking it with her tears.

"I know," he murmured, steeling himself for the onslaught of feelings that her words, his thoughts about their child, conjured. "I know, but if you hadn't come back to me, we would've never known…."

"I-I can't believe this," Sam mumbled against his shoulder. "You can't-"

Jack squeezed her body even tighter against his. "I  _love_ you, Samantha. I could never hate you. We'll find the baby," he nodded to himself, not sure who he was trying to convince; her or himself? The odds were unimaginable… then again, hadn't the odds always been against them? And yet, they'd prevailed. They'd finally gotten married, been able to help the Jaffa free themselves, get rid of the replicators, the System Lords… the only one who was still at large was Ba'al. Jack swore to himself – that day when the clone had confirmed their suspicions that Ba'al had kidnapped his wife – that he would make Ba'al pay. He'd wish he'd never been born – or spawned, cloned, whatever. "We'll find the baby," Jack repeated again, dipping his head in the crook of her neck. They would find their child and get rid of Ba'al once and for all.


	23. Getting Back in the Game

"So, I went looking for Sam just now," Janet said as she walked into Daniel's lab. "But she isn't in her VIP room, do you know where she's gone?"

Startled, Daniel looked up from his notes. "Oh, hi," he smiled and pushed up his glasses as he straightened from his hunched position. "What?"

She grinned and picked up a few of his scattered books to place them on another pile. "I was looking for Sam," she repeated as she leaned her elbows on the vacated spot.

"Oh," he exclaimed as he pushed aside his notes. "Ah, I think she was in the briefing room."

"She was?" Janet asked, surprised and yet pleased.

Daniel bobbed his head excitedly. "Yes, she and Jack had to go over some things with General Landry."

"Are you saying she," she frowned, looking for the right word, "snapped out of it?"

"I don't think that's a medical term," Daniel joked, grinning.

"Let me be the doctor around here, Doctor."

He smiled and nodded slowly. "Sure Janet."

"But seriously, she's doing better?"

"Much," Daniel affirmed.

Janet perked up, feeling like she could do a happy dance. "Wow, that's wonderful. What happened?"

He shrugged and looked down at the table. "I finally got her to talk last night," he explained.

"It must have been quite the talk," she mused aloud, wondering what Daniel possibly could have said to have Sam open up to him.

"Jack was there, too."

Her eyebrows shot up as she stared at him. "She talked to both of you?"

"No… well, yes," seeing her confusion, Daniel elaborated. "She didn't know he was standing in the doorway, listening."

"Oh," Janet nodded in understanding. "Very sneaky, Dr. Jackson."

He smiled sheepishly, feeling his face heat up. "Well, it worked," he shrugged helplessly.

"She finally said what was on her mind?" She inquired, leaning forward as if sharing a big secret.

"Yelled was more like it," he grimaced, remembering how she'd finally gotten things off her mind. "I left them to talk when she started crying," he added in a whisper.

Janet understood; Sam and General O'Neill would have wanted – needed – their privacy to clear the air, but apparently it had worked. "As long as they're okay now."

"I think so," Daniel smiled, recalling his earlier run in with the couple in the elevator. They'd both looked weary – which was understandable under the circumstances – and yet full of energy, ready to do what was necessary to coordinate the searches.

"I should go back to the infirmary," she remarked, noticing the time as she glanced at the clock.

He frowned, looking at her. "I thought you wanted to see Sam?"

"I don't think that's necessary right now," Janet smiled as she turned to leave the lab. She'd wanted to see how Sam was doing, check up on her – but obviously she didn't have to anymore.

* * *

"Walter, have we heard anything from SG-3 or Teal'c yet?"

Stunned, Walter almost dropped his trustworthy clipboard. "Ah, no Colonel Carter, nothing yet. It's good to see you again, Ma'am."

She gave the blushing man a brief smile, before refocusing on Jack and General Landry. For some reason she felt… lighter today, much lighter after having cleared the air with Jack last night. At first she'd been angry with Daniel when she realized that he'd known Jack was standing behind her, but when she'd finally talked about everything with her husband she knew she should be grateful to Daniel. She knew she probably wouldn't have taken the first step towards Jack, to explain to him, to apologize – now she knew that he never even blamed her, and she believed him. If it hadn't been for Daniel's persistence and interference, she would have still been sulking in her room, keeping her loving and upset husband at bay. Now, she was actively working towards finding their baby. She might not have recovered much of her memory, but she had discovered that this – her military side – came very easy, almost innate.

"Was there something else?" Jack almost barked as he glanced up to see Walter still standing there.

"Ah," he stammered, looking at his superiors. "Yes Sirs, SG-16 still hasn't checked-in."

"How long are they overdue?"

"Four hours, Sirs."

Exchanging glances with Jack, Hank nodded and put down his files as he stood. "Well then, let's give them a call. Dial up, err…."

"Goronak, Sir?" Walter offered.

"Yeah," Hank confirmed after checking the white board they'd been using for the search. He followed Walter down to the control room and waited for the chevrons to lock and the wormhole to engage.

"The wormhole is established, Sir," Walter glanced at his superior standing next to him.

Hank took a deep breath and motioned for him to establish radio contact. "SG-16, this is Stargate Command; you've missed your scheduled check-in, report." He could practically hear a pin drop while everyone waited for a response. "Walter?"

He shook his head. "No response whatsoever, Sir."

"And you're sure everything," he waved towards the gate and the computers, "is working properly?"

"Yes Sir," Walter nodded, hitting a few keys on his keyboard. "There are no indications the MALP has been damaged."

"Pull up a visual, Walter," Jack barked as he came down the spiral staircase, Sam on his heels. "Can you move the camera around," he suggested when the link was established and they could see what was on the other side of the gate.

Sam walked up behind the technician, glancing over his shoulder as his hands moved over the keyboard. "This planet was under the control of Ba'al?"

"As far as we know," Hank nodded.

Jack shrugged, keeping an eye on the video screen. "After we killed Moloc Ba'al claimed the planet as his. Last we've heard Ishta," he glanced at Sam, "a close  _friend_  of Teal'c's and one of the leaders of the Free Jaffa had proposed to take back the planet, but so far they haven't done anything. Ba'al was too powerful at the time and right now they are still busy working on building a democratic nation."

"The only tracks leading away from the gate are from SG-16," she remarked as Walter operated the MALP.

"Let's try again," Hank suggested, signaling Walter."Major Paulson, this is General Landry. What's your status, SG-16?"

Sam glanced around the control room, noticing everyone was almost holding their breath while waiting for  _something_  to get through. "There," she exclaimed, pointing at the technician's screen. "Can you enhance that?"

Walter nodded, having noticed it at the same time as the Colonel. His fingers flew over the keyboard while he tweaked the sensitivity of the MALP's relay antenna. "Could you try again, Sir?" He asked, motioning towards the screen. "The signal was too faint and short."

"SG-16, this is Stargate Command, please report," Hank tried again, exchanging glances with Jack.

Finally some static came through the loudspeakers.  _"…son, Sir. We're on… back to the gate after… locals. ETA is… minutes, Sir. Paulson out."_

"Could you repeat that, Major?" Hank asked, annoyed with the static interrupting the transmission. "What's your ETA?"

 _"Forty minutes, Sir,"_  came the reply.

He nodded to no one in particular, satisfied that the team apparently was fine just delayed. "Very well, Major. Stargate Command out," he gestured towards Walter, who immediately disconnected the wormhole.

Jack broke the silence that had descended after the disengagement. "Well, sounds like they're okay. Shall we go back to the briefing room?" He asked, not expecting Hank or Sam to reply in the negative and trusting Walter to make sure the new ETA would be processed in the system. Without waiting for an answer, he turned on his heels and headed back up the stairs.

* * *

Daniel was stalking through the corridors, coffee cup in one hand and manila folder in the other. He'd been in the commissary going over the list General Landry had given him a few days ago, when they'd assigned the teams on the mission to learn Ba'al's whereabouts. He'd gotten an idea and was on his way to the briefing room, hoping that General Landry, Jack and Sam were still there.

 _Sam_ … it still brought a smile to his face, recalling how she'd looked earlier this morning. Confident and ready to kick some ass when she and Jack had been on their way to coordinate the search with the base commander. Apparently her talk with Jack had gone better than he'd hoped, because they had looked quite comfortable together. He hoped this meant Sam would focus her energy on the search, helping Jack and the others as much as she could without her memories. And he himself might have thought of something that could help them!

He nodded to the various SFs he ran into and turned the corner to the briefing room. As usual, the door was open, which never failed to surprise him – anyone could overhear whatever was being discussed in the room. Then again, the only people roaming these lower levels had a high security clearance only to be present. Still, there were only a handful of people that had top level clearance, SG-1 and several other teams – or only their experienced leaders – being amongst them. Considering there were two two-star generals and an important lieutenant colonel in the room, the door really should be closed.  _Ah well, at least it saves the trouble of knocking or the embarrassment of barging in unannounced_ , Daniel thought as walked into the briefing room.

"Daniel," Jack drawled in a greeting.

"Uhm, hi," he smiled sheepishly and walked in further.

Hank glanced up from the papers Colonel Carter had been showing him. "Dr. Jackson, can we help you with something?"

"Take a seat," Jack said to his friend, waving at the empty chairs.

"Thanks," Daniel replied, taking his usual seat after placing his coffee and the file on the table. "Good to see you back, ah… doing your thing," he said to Sam.

She grinned, nodding her head. "Anything I can do to help."

Hank frowned, looking between the three people. He still had trouble understanding their dynamic that had been born out of years of working together, but apparently Jack had given the doctor permission to sit on their briefing. Well, it wasn't like Jackson couldn't be helpful, but strategizing wasn't his forte.

"So, Daniel," Jack prompted, knowing there had to be some reason why he'd decided to join them.

"Oh! Yes, I had an idea," he blushed, almost having forgotten why he'd come down here in the first place.

"Please do elaborate, Doctor Jackson," Hank commented as he stared at him.

"Right," he nodded to himself. "Do you remember about a year ago when we defeated the Replicators?"

"Vaguely," Jack said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Sam stopped making notes and sat back in her chair to wait for further explanation. Of course she didn't remember that and she was sure Daniel would tell her. "Daniel?"

"Well, I don't know the exact details, but Jack you told me about this 'doohickey' Jacob used," he glanced at Jack, making air quotes when mentioned the doohickey. For some reason Jack had the annoying habit of not naming things or people by their real name, which sometimes got them into trouble. Like now, because he had no idea what the device was called and Jacob wasn't around anymore to tell them. "You know, because I was being held by RepliCarter," he mumbled, glancing at the table.

"You know, Daniel, you could be a bit more specific; the man was part alien, he used all kinds of doohickeys."

"That secret tracking thing you got kind of pissed over," he elaborated.

"Oh!" Jack nodded, remembering. "That receiver… thing."

"Receiver thing?" Daniel questioned, sighing exasperated.

He smirked, plopping down on a chair too. "Yes, the Tok'ra receiver. What?" He exclaimed, indignantly at Daniel's eye rolling. "It's a receiver provided by the Tok'ra!"

"Fine," he sighed again. "Do you still have this Tok'ra receiver?"

"Somewhere," Jack affirmed. "Probably with the geeks or maybe in the vault."

Hank had gone over a lot of the missions, but there were a lot of teams with a lot of weekly missions so he probably hadn't even scratched the surface in the last year. He still had a life so he couldn't just lock himself up to read up on eight years worth of off world explorations. "Care to enlighten me? And Colonel Carter," he added as an afterthought, seeing her knitted eyebrows. He'd never had the chance to really get to know her in the short time she'd been under his command, but he could still recognize her expressions of concentration. Combine that with her lack of memory and he knew she was as much in the dark about this as he was.

"It was this thing he hooked up to the computer that established a link to some subspace kind of network," Jack frowned at his own words, "or something."

"Right," Hank mumbled, not understanding any of it. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Well," Daniel started, glancing at Jack for approval, "the Tok'ra had apparently been tracking, tagging actually, the Goa'uld for years; they had planted beacons on their ships and with access to that network they could track them."

Sam almost chuckled when General Landry's caterpillar-like eyebrows shot up in surprise – or maybe shock. "So, they had been tracking the Goa'uld for quite some time?"

"Several centuries, probably," Jack snorted.

"Why haven't I heard of this technology?" Hank mused aloud.

He shrugged and made a vague hand gesture. "We only know about it because Jacob stole it," he smirked, remembering the man and his last actions. "He showed it to me to let me know how the Replicators were defeating the Goa'uld, eating or controlling their ships. He also said that the network gave access to up-to-the minute reports of all the Tok'ra operatives," he recalled.

"Jack, if we could use that receiver and access the network, we might be able to find Ba'al!" Daniel exclaimed. "Think about it; he is the only System Lord left. Even if part of his fleet was destroyed by the Replicators, he probably has a few more hataks. They might not have been his until the other System Lords were gone, but we might be able to track them! Do you know if the system distinguished between the Goa'uld?"

"We didn't spend a lot of time talking about the details, Daniel," Jack replied. "But you're right; it's probably the best shot we have. Hank, could you get Walter to track down the device?"

"Sure," he nodded and went down to the control room to give the order.

Sam looked at Jack. "Do you really think this is going to work?"

"We can always try," he shrugged. "Do you think you could hook it up to the computer? Your Dad used some kind of wiring to get a connection."

She gnawed her lip, unsure. "Honestly? I have no idea, but I can always try," she smirked.

"Yeah sure you betcha," Jack grinned.

* * *

"This should do it," Sam said as she straightened up and glanced at the piece of alien technology.

Daniel looked at what Jacob had left them before glancing at the large screen at the wall. "So, now what?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Now," Jack said, pulling out the chair and taking place behind the computer, "we activate it."

"How do you propose we do that?" Daniel asked doubtfully, squinting at the receiver.

"Oh, I don't know," he shrugged before letting his fingers fly over the keyboard, "maybe like this."

"Wow," Sam gasped, taking a step closer to the large screen as it sprang alive. "It's amazing! Look at this, a real time subspace network!"

Hank watched as Jackson and Jack exchanged amused glances, apparently both happy to see Colonel Carter's excitement surface. "So, what am I looking at?"

"Sweet," Jack punched in a few more keys, calling up the screen that Jacob showed him a little over a year ago. "Those dots apparently represent a Goa'uld ship."

"So Jack," Daniel mentioned, while his friend was working the computer – zooming in and out, selecting several quadrants of the galaxy to find the ships.

Selecting another dense area, Jack tapped the last few keys and looked over his shoulder. "Daniel?"

"How do you know how to work that?"

"Oh, you know," he shrugged, realizing he'd been caught. "I was watching Jacob when he showed me."

"Well, would you look at that," Daniel mumbled, his attention caught by the information on the screen. "Looks like someone has been kind enough to update the database."

"What do you mean, Doctor Jackson?"

Jack nodded, understanding what he meant and pulled up the information of a couple of motherships. "This Hank."

"Right," Daniel said, pointing at the screen. "You see, General Landry, this here says that this fleet belongs to Ba'al, while this," he pointed to the right corner, where there was writing in Goa'uld, "gives the history, so to say."

Hank frowned, looking at the man. "History?"

"This one used to belong to someone named Nirrti, while these were Yu's," Sam explained, using a pointer to underline some of the hieroglyphs.

"Like that, I see," Hank mumbled.

"What?" She asked, when both Jack and Daniel were staring at her.

Daniel pointed at the screen with his hand. "You can read that?"

"Yes," she said slowly, glancing at Jack as if to ask what was wrong. "Why?"

"Well," Jack said, dragging a hand through his hair, "it's kind of… strange, considering your memory loss."

"Wait," Daniel said, holding up a hand. "How did  _you_  know that she was reading it?"

Jack turned to him again, frowning. "Who, me?"

"Yes, you."

"Well, I'm not a complete moron, Daniel," Jack huffed. "Even  _I_  can recognize something after seeing it almost daily for the last decade."

He nodded slowly, finally realizing that Jack had been dumbing himself down even more than he'd expected. "And that is how you knew how to operate this."

Hank heaved a sigh and glanced at his watch; it was almost time for SG-16's debriefing. They had stepped through the gate fifty minutes after the radio contact and he'd sent them to the infirmary to get checked out. Up until now, he hadn't realized how tiring it was to spend time with Jack and Dr. Jackson. He idly wondered how Colonel Carter and Teal'c had been able to deal with that over the years, before shrugging it off. "Look, this is all great, but will it help us?"

"I think so," Daniel bobbed his head excitedly, once again taking in the information on the screen. "We can locate his ships to ease our search."

"We'll need someone to translate the coordinates, though," Jack remarked, knowing they couldn't do much with only the frequencies and relative positions if they didn't have a ship at their disposal.

Daniel shrugged and replied without thinking. "Sam can do that."

"Oh, I'm not so sure," she shook her head and automatically took a step back.

Jack stood from the chair and glanced at his wife. "Don't sell yourself short, Sam. You've already shown that you're still familiar with technology and are still able to read Goa'uld," he pointed at the computer. "Just give it a try."

"Ah Jack," Daniel thought of something. "How secure is this connection?"

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged helplessly. "Well, isn't it like the internet? We don't know if every Tok'ra has their own account or password or something," he frowned. "If Jacob stole the receiver and the Tok'ra never found out, it's possible we're on his account, as a matter of speaking. They could get suspicious if they'd notice he'd gotten 'online.'"

"Daniel is right," Sam confirmed, sitting down on the chair Jack had just vacated. "But somehow I doubt these aliens have a lot of experience with firewalls and such," she smirked to herself as her fingers flew over the keyboard. She was in her element here, she thought as she started working on a program to hide their activity from someone else who might be on the same network. For a supposed advanced race and the special technology behind the subspace network it was very easy to figure out, she mused as she went through the specifications and the layout of the network. It wasn't very secure either, in her opinion. Her own computer had better security – she wasn't sure how she knew that, but she just did.

"Well, you go have fun with your little network," Jack smirked, patting her shoulder. "We'll be in the briefing room, going over this new opportunity."

Hank followed him out of the door when he realized Colonel Carter was completely emerged in her work, not even acknowledging Jack's words. Seeing Jack was completely unfazed by this, he assumed that was normal for when the Colonel got to work with her doohickeys. "So, we have to find the nearest gates to get to these ships and hopefully find Ba'al, right?"

"Yes, that would be about it, I think," Daniel replied, glancing at Jack. "We can probably ask the Free Jaffa to search the locations that we're unable to reach without ships."

Jack nodded as they made their way through the corridors. "Let's not forget those two alkeshes Major Thompson from SG-7 acquired."

"I believe Dr. Lee and Lt. Kemper are still trying to fix the cloaking problem with one of those," Hank remarked. He knew SG-7 and Dr. Lee were still on P3B-645, working on the alkesh, but he couldn't remember the exact details.

"Didn't Reynolds say that the alkesh had somehow gotten cloaked?" Daniel inquired, from behind the two generals.

Hank glanced over his shoulder to nod at the younger man. "Yes, but Lt. Kemper was able to fix that… and somehow that resulted in them being unable to activate the cloak again."

"Gotta love those geeks," Jack quipped.

* * *

Glancing at Jack, Hank figured he himself was going to be leading this debriefing. His friend and CO probably wanted everyone at the SGC to know that they now answered to Hank Landry and not Jack O'Neill. Not that his people had been treating him without respect since assuming this position, but Hank couldn't help but feel they were comparing him to his predecessor. It was probably hard not to, even he knew the reputation Jack had. He'd always respected his old friend and the work he'd done in Black Ops – he certainly couldn't have done some of the things the AF ordered Jack to – but when he'd been informed about the SGC… the things Jack had done in the last decade almost blew him away. And it wasn't just Jack; it was SG-1, General Hammond and hell, every single soldier working at the SGC. "At ease," he waved with his hand as SG-16 stood at attention. "Please have a seat and let's begin the debriefing."

"Major," Jack prompted the man absentmindedly. Daniel had scurried off when he'd realized there was a debriefing first, claiming that he had some more research to do on Ba'al, to see if he could perhaps find something in mythology that could help them… or whatever. Jack knew an excuse when he heard one and this was a poor one at best. The Space Monkey would probably go see if Doc Fraiser wanted to get a late lunch or something. As director of HWS he should probably remind his two friends of the frat regs; after all, they also applied to Daniel while he was working for the USAF. Not to mention that Janet as the CMO was his doctor. Well, he really couldn't concern himself with their relationship – whichever direction that was taking at the moment – when he already had enough on his mind.

"Yes Sirs," Henry Paulson nodded.

When it looked like the man wasn't going to continue, Hank sighed. "Why don't we start with your delayed scheduled check-in?"

"Of course, Sir," he grimaced. "Well, we had been on the planet – Goronak – for about forty hours when we met up with some of the locals. At first, they were fearful, afraid that after the demise of Moloc and the subsequent control of the planet by Ba'al we were looking to take over their planet. They had already suffered great losses in their population due to a short-lived rebellion last year – Moloc had apparently foreseen it and had a fleet of hataks in orbit to crush the opposition. Almost all of the two thousand people died and that were mostly men. The women and children were scared because they couldn't defend themselves properly and there were only about a hundred men left. That was probably the reason Ba'al could easily claim the planet as his; they were too afraid to do anything. However, one of his Jaffa had been coming to the planet for about ten months now, taking people as slaves for his master."

"They weren't aware of the fall of the System Lords?" Hank inquired, frowning.

"We're unsure, Sir," Tracy Beck replied. "There was a small language barrier that we couldn't completely overcome."

"Go on, Lieutenant," Jack prompted when a silence fell. The sooner they'd get this over with, the sooner he could get out. He wanted to see how Sam was doing. It had been amazing to see her eyes light up again when she saw the Tok'ra network and started fiddling with it. Over the years, he'd observed her a lot of times when she was working – off world or in her lab – and she had this child-like enthusiasm when she found some doohickey to work with. From that first meeting, when she'd been staring at the event horizon of the gate, he'd been secretly amused by her curiosity. For such a tough, kickass soldier it was a sharp contrast and it intrigued him. The way she was able to understand alien technology had baffled him over the years – not that he would say it aloud – and she looked so natural handling those doohickeys of hers. And just now, with her behind the computer, he realized that perhaps it was natural to her. She was completely at ease working even without all her memories. Almost as if it was the same as riding a bike for her and he wanted to see that again. Watch her fiddle with doohickeys like the good old days, before Ba'al had abducted her. Remind her to eat something because she was completely engrossed in her work.

"… the Jaffa's name was Til'vak," Tracy continued. "Anyway, after we had convinced them of our intentions they told us that the Jaffa had returned three weeks ago, after he'd been gone for months. They had hoped he'd stay away, but this time he'd been looking for something."

Hank nodded pensively. "Do you have any idea what that could have been? I thought it was a fairly simple world. I mean, Moloc wasn't a big player."

"For a Goa'uld that wasn't a System Lord he had quite the armies," Dick Moar chimed in, "but I have to agree, Sir, he probably wasn't hiding anything important. From what we've learned from Istha he was quite happy with the worlds he had to rule, growing his armies, only allowing male offspring amongst his slaves… it's not likely he wanted to become part of the politics of the System Lords,"

"Lieutenant Moar is right, Sirs," Eric Decker commented. "From what we could tell, this Til'vak was more interested in a hiding place or something of the likes. It's possible he was looking for a place to hide Ba'al or one of his clones."

"You think he would order one of his Jaffa to find him a  _hiding place_ , Captain?" Jack asked sarcastically. "Bocce wouldn't want to hide on a planet like that. He likes his power too much and the only place he'd be comfortably hiding out would be this planet, our very own Earth. You see, he seems to actually like humans, he finds us amusing. If he was going to hide out, he'd do it in plain sight, like the last time he was here," he huffed.

Henry Paulson glared at his 2IC, Captain Decker. They'd already gone over this on their way back to the gate and they'd disagreed over this and now the man was telling this nonsense in front of two generals? One of which who was the director of Homeworld Security?  _Jack O'Neill_  for God's sake, the man was a legend amongst those who had the clearance! "I doubt he was looking for a place for Ba'al, Sirs. But he was looking for something and because he left with empty hands and hasn't returned since, it's safe to assume that whatever it was it's not on the planet."

"I agree," Hank nodded, looking up from the notes he'd made. "So, that was the reason you were late?"

"Yes Sir," Henry replied curtly. "After interviewing the people we had to get back to the gate and with the strong storms we were unable to get there sooner."

"Very well, was there anything else?"

Captain Decker, Lieutenants Moar and Beck shook their heads, but suddenly Henry remembered something. "There was one thing, Sir. These people knew Ishta from when she was Moloc's high priestess and want to join forces with her. They asked us to ask the Free Jaffa Nation for support to liberate their people from oppression."

"Well," Jack almost yawned, "Teal'c and SG-3 are scheduled to check in tomorrow, we'll let him know."

"Okay," Hank spoke up. "I want your mission reports before 0800 hours tomorrow. Your next briefing will be in thirty hours, dismissed."

Jack waited until SG-16 cleared out of the room before turning to Hank. "So, what do you think?"

"About what, Jack?"

"Their team dynamic," he replied, frowning. Surely Hank had noticed the behavior between the CO and 2IC?

Hank stood up and placed his notes on the desk and walked back to the table. "They've only been working together for a few months, they just need some time."

"You sure? They need to be a team out there or they'll get killed."

"I know, Jack, I know," he chuckled softly. "Unfortunately, not everyone is like SG-1; they don't all have this instant click. Some teams have to learn how to work together, you know that."

"I guess," he shrugged as he stood and padded over to the window looking out at the gate room. "Maybe you're right; I hit it off with SG-1 just like I did with Kawalsky in '82. Perhaps it's been too long for me to remember what that was like," he smirked, not at all sad about that. He had great friends, a true family and he wouldn't trade it for the world. "I just want to make sure you understand that one mistake out there," he waved at the gate, "could cost them more than their lives, Hank."

Hank realized he was right; he didn't have any experience with going off world and his days in the field had been a long time ago. On Earth you could die too, but they usually weren't trying to actively find a megalomaniac who had the ability to torture you to death for information about the destruction of your planet or allies. "I'll keep an eye on them."

"Maybe we should switch SG-16 with SG-6; they have a better chance at not getting killed if they visit the friendly worlds. Colonel Barnes from SG-6 is more than capable to lead his team on recon."

"I'll take that into consideration."

Jack was okay with that; after all, it wasn't his base anymore. Not that he couldn't overrule Hank if he thought he was making a mistake, but the man didn't have all the experience of crazy off worldness yet. He had to be allowed to make his own mistakes and if Jack thought that would compromise people's lives, he'd step in. But he trusted his old friend to figure it out himself. "I'm going to see how Carter's doing on the translation."

"Very well," Hank acquiesced. "I could use a break from all this," he sighed, waving at the whiteboard in the corner. "Let me know when Colonel Carter is done."

"Yeah sure you betcha," Jack waved over his shoulder as he walked out of the door. They had another briefing scheduled for 1900 hours and he was hoping Sam would be finished by then. Or that maybe they would hear something good from the teams that were currently off world.


	24. Debriefing

"To be honest with you, Janet," Albert King said slowly and friendly, "I think you are mistaken." Wrong was more like it, but it wasn't in Albert's nature to insult one of his best former students and it wasn't necessary to rub her nose in it, considering amnesia and the brain weren't even her specialty – exotic diseases was. That, her area of expertise, once again made him wonder what  _exactly_  was going on in this facility and how Janet fit in to all of it as the CMO of the base.

She looked at her former mentor curiously, wondering what he thought was wrong with her hypothesis. After all, she had unearthed a lot of her old medical books and even ordered new ones for the infirmary that specialized in amnesia and head trauma. In their line of work at the SGC there was no telling when she might need the new knowledge and updated books, in particular because most soldiers came back through the gate with head trauma and staff blast rather than life threatening bullet wounds. Therefore, it hadn't been difficult to convince General Landry to authorize the purchase of the new books that were decorating the walls of her office now. "Really?"

Albert shrugged uncomfortably, even after all these years still recognizing that her reaction indicated she disagreed with him. "From what you told me and the short time I just spent with Colonel Carter I have to say that, yes."

"So you learned something new when you examined her?" Janet asked, surprised since she'd been around Sam for a couple of days now and she hadn't noticed anything.

They stepped out of the elevator while Albert considered his reply. He hadn't learned anything new per se, but he simply couldn't agree with Janet's theory. His time with the colonel had been short, mostly because she'd been anxious to leave again – something about a tracking program was all she could say – and because the scans of her brain showed no difference to the ones Janet had provided him with the last time he was here. The colonel had, however, informed him of some of the memories she'd recovered, albeit with some hinting from the people around her. Now they were on their way to the briefing room, scary looking SFs lining around the corridors – he'd given up greeting all of them the last time he was here – as they softly went over the latest details of his exam before informing the others. "Not exactly," he said, running a hand through his thinning hair as they turned the last corner.

"I went over the scans you made this morning," she continued, walking into the briefing room and gesturing for the good doctor to take the seat left of hers – Daniel was on her right and Teal'c next to him. "But I didn't see anything new."

"Neither did I," Albert admitted as he sat down, as graciously as possible.

"People, good to see everyone could make it," Hank Landry said as he came out of his office, both MDs, Dr. Jackson and Teal'c already present. "I assume there is news?"

Janet and Albert exchanged glances.

"Well, Sir," she started, looking back at her CO, "Dr. King is of course limited due to his lack of security clearance but he has examined Colonel Carter and we are ready to discuss our theories."

"I see," Hank nodded grimly, understanding that meant they weren't any closer to a solution to the Colonel's amnesia.

Albert King opened his notebook nervously, remembering the last 'briefing' as they called it.  _Or was it a debriefing?_  He wasn't sure, the military had never appealed to him except of course, when he was contacted by them for his expertise. He'd already recognized the other people around the table and assumed they were waiting for the colonel herself. He secretly hoped the other general – the one that turned out to be married to said colonel last time – wouldn't be present because he was… kind of intimidating, almost scary. Not that the large, dark man with the exotic name and gold tattoo on his forehead wasn't. But at least he was quiet and for some reason didn't work on his nerve as the general had the previous time. The man was probably in his fifties already considering his rank, but Albert had to admit the man looked younger despite his gray hair. He himself was already close to retiring at the age of sixty-nine but he enjoyed the medical profession too much and his expertise was still needed on a regular basis – like in this situation. However, that meant he was at least a decade older than the general and it was ridiculous to feel intimidated by him, but Albert couldn't help himself. "Are we waiting for Colonel Carter?"

"Yeah, Jack was supposed to get her," Daniel spoke up, giving the doctor a polite smile. "She's probably too engrossed in her latest project," he added, refraining from actually mentioning the Tok'ra receiver.

"Does that happen often?" Albert asked, jotting down the symptom on his notepad.

Daniel pushed up his glasses, leaning forward to get a good look at the man. "What? Sam working on projects?"

"Since her procedural memory seems to be in order as well as her semantic memory she has been working on little things," Janet supplied, glancing at her colleague. "There doesn't seem to be any effort in trying to remember, she simply does it."

Albert nodded as he continued writing and held up his hand once done. "Yes, she told me she was working on some project and you," he nodded at Janet and Dr. Jackson, "already told me the last time about her ability to remember facts and learned skills and I'd heard there were several other things she seemed to remember but I couldn't be told what  _exactly_  because of the security clearance," he glared at General Landry. How could the man expect him to do his work if he wasn't allowed to know details like this! Well, he knew he could trust Janet to tell him if it was something significant, something that deviated from simple learned skills as well as facts and knowledge but he didn't like being kept in the dark.

"There's a good reason for that," Jack quipped as he stepped out of the doorway after overhearing the doctor's reply. "Carter's on her way," he said, pulling out his old chair, on the right of Hank.

"I assume there is," Albert replied demurely, immediately recognizing the general from his last visit. He watched as the man literally plopped down in the black leather seat and remembered how he himself had tried to graciously sit down, keeping his old back in mind. Obviously the general didn't have a problem with that, despite his age.

"The Doc will tell you what she can," he shrugged, waving a hand to Fraiser.

"Yes she has," he replied. "I was wondering though, about what you mentioned earlier, Dr. Jackson. About the colonel being completely focused on her work? 'Engrossed,' was the word you used, I think," Albert continued, glancing at his notes. It could be a serious symptom if the colonel had trouble dividing her attention or simply only being able to focus completely on her work. A lack of concentration could indicate something serious even if the scans seemed to be clean!

"That's Carter for ya," Jack smirked. "Loves to play with her little doohickeys."

Janet nodded and placed a hand on her former mentor's arm. "Yes, don't worry; that is very typical of Sam and not a new symptom, otherwise I would've told you."

"Okay," Albert let out a sigh of relief; he hadn't realized how disappointed he would've been if Janet had left out something this important until she reassured him. He grabbed his pen and crossed out his latest notes and looked up just in time to see Colonel Carter enter the room.

"Sorry I'm late," Sam apologized, blushing slightly. "I finished the program, Sirs," she glanced at Jack and Landry, letting them know that the Tok'ra receiver and its subspace network were ready for use without going into detail.

Jack gestured for her to take her seat – the one next to him, like old times – and smirked. "Excellent."

"Indeed," Teal'c intoned, folding his hands on the tabletop. "This will improve our search greatly."

"Ahum," Hank cleared his throat, glancing at Dr. King. It looked like the man had no idea what they were talking about, which was a good thing considering it was classified. Not that his people would let something slide easily but still. "Let's hear what Doctor King and Doctor Fraiser have come up with."

Exchanging glances with Janet, Albert started. "I'm sure Dr. Fraiser has told you about her theory," he saw that everyone – well almost everyone – nodded or inclined their head and he continued. "While I respect her opinion of course, I have to admit I disagree with her in several aspects. First, I want to say that I was very happy to hear that Colonel Carter has been making progress with recovering some of her earlier memories and that she still seems capable of doing her work a-"

"Yeah yeah," Jack waved his hand impatiently, "we're all very happy about that," he rolled his eyes. "Now, just get to the point."

"Right," he took a deep breath. "When I reviewed the test results from my examinations as well as those of Dr. Fraiser, I came to the same conclusion I had already told you; that Colonel Carter," Albert looked at the woman in question, "is suffering from retrograde amnesia. While it is a good sign she appears to be recovering some of her earlier memories that, unfortunately," he swallowed hard, hating to be the bearer of bad news, "does not mean that all of her memories will return."

"But it doesn't mean that they won't, either," Janet gasped, shocked to hear that was what he was really thinking. She had been under the impression that Sam's condition was improving and she liked to think that in time perhaps everything would simply return to her. How many times had they, SG-1, run into trouble? They always landed on their feet and she wasn't going to give up hope now!

"So what are you saying?" Jack squinted at the man. "That Carter won't remember anything else? Or just things from when she was a kid?"

"Isn't there anything else we can do?" Daniel asked, looking at both doctors. "I mean, we – well, most of us," he glared at Jack, "have been following your instructions and Sam has practically remembered on her own. Surely that is a good sign that the rest will come back too? Maybe we should tell her more and then it will help her to-"

Albert shook his head. "I'm sorry, but it doesn't work like that."

"We could try," Janet argued, not liking where this was going. She had been happy about Sam's memories and while what Dr. King was saying was true, she'd also read different things.

"Ribot's law, Janet," he replied softly. She nodded, but he saw the confusion on the faces of the others. "It states that there is a time-gradient in retrograde amnesia, which means that recent memories are more likely to be lost than more remote ones."

"But not all patients experience that," she objected. "Besides, Sam's case isn't textbook retrograde amnesia."

Albert glanced from one woman to another, before looking back at his notes. While there were deviations there were also textbook symptoms. "Well, no case is the same," he tried in an apologetic tone. "And-"

"What do you think, Doc?" Jack interrupted the man, narrowing his eyes at Fraiser. He'd known her for years and she was hardly wrong. Besides, in this case he wanted her to be right instead of that so called specialist. Of course it wasn't textbook, there was nothing textbook about the entire situation!

She shifted on her chair, glancing from her old mentor to General O'Neill. "Sir, you have to understand that my expertise doesn't lie in this area…."

"So?" he shrugged. "That never stopped you before."

Janet smiled briefly, knowing he was right. "I'm just thinking that maybe we were wrong in our first assumption," she elaborated. "Perhaps Sam didn't forget because of what she went through, but because someone wanted her to forget."

"That isn't possible," Albert shook his head. "There would've been signs of head trauma if someone  _did_  this to the colonel. We didn't find anything on the scans you made after she returned and if this was somehow done to her, like surgical," he frowned, "those eight months wouldn't have been enough time for her to recuperate without any scar tissue. Besides, she went through a traumatic experience being abducted and held some place for almost eight months; it is no wonder there is psychological trauma. There are a lot of cases of PTSD in the military," he continued, waving his hand around. "Some soldiers develop the anxiety disorder from merely being sent abroad and having to participate in a war, no matter what exactly they have to do. Now you've already told me that Colonel Carter has combat experience and whatever happened during the time she was missing," he sighed, not wanting to think about what could happen to a young woman with her looks when being held in the Middle East, "could've been enough to trigger posttraumatic stress disorder, which in turn affects the declarative memory. The semantic and episodic memory," he added seeing the blank expression on both general's faces.

"I disagree," Janet said after a moment of silence while everyone was processing his words. She couldn't really tell him why because he had no idea there were Goa'uld out there with technology they couldn't even imagine and that Sam had been nowhere near the Middle East – or this planet for that matter. "You said it yourself; it is  _very_  uncommon for patients to only have their episodic – autobiographical – memories affected." She could hardly argue that PTSD wouldn't make Sam use Goa'uld terms all of a sudden, while no one except for Teal'c had ever heard of them!

"Well, yes," Albert said slowly. "But I'm sure it has happened before… either way, to only affect someone's episodic memory without affecting the semantic memory is impossible. No one can do that to another human being; the brain is simply too complex for that. Brainwashing would never achieve such a thing, only invasive surgery could have these results. The latter would leave signs in the frontal lobe of the brain, while the colonel's frontal lobe – her entire brain actually – looks in perfect condition!"

Janet wanted to object, but realized she couldn't really give him any arguments without telling him classified information. Giving the others around the table a helpless look, she shrugged and fidgeted with the flap of her manila folder.

"I agree with Janet," Sam stated, finally speaking up after entering the room. She could feel all eyes on her but simply looked at her hands in her lap. "This," she made a vague gesture with both hands, trying to encompass the situation in which she found herself, "is too strange; I know there are things I say that surprise you – and not in a good way," she murmured, glancing up at her friends, "and I don't know where they come from. To me it seems perfectly normal and I just know that, but according to you I shouldn't know that," she frowned at her own words. "And the things I've forgotten," she bit her lip and glanced at Jack. "Something must have happened otherwise I would've never, ever forgotten something so important."

Jack heard her shaky intake of breath and knew she was referring to their child. Thinking about their baby made him emotional too, which is why he tried to think of it as a normal mission before he would go crazy. Reaching out under the table he grabbed her hand and squeezed gently, trying to support her. He had to agree with her and Janet, Dr. King simply had no idea of what was out there! Janet's glance and, more importantly, the hidden message that she couldn't give her arguments freely without revealing classified information hadn't gone unnoticed. But he had to wonder if her old mentor could really help Sam if he  _did_  know those things. It would probably only give him nightmares and the solution to helping Sam would be no closer than it was when they'd finally gotten her back! Besides, Fraiser had always helped them, whether it was her area of expertise or not; she was the most capable doctor he knew and he trusted her. If she couldn't figure this out with all the extra reading she'd done – he'd caught her in her office several times the past few days –  _and_  what she knew about alien technology then Dr. King had no chance of figuring it out either.

"I must agree with Doctor Fraiser and Colonel Carter," Teal'c broke the silence. "There is no limit to what Ba'al would do in order to reach his goal. Colonel Carter has experienced many things in her life and there is no reason to assume that her latest ordeal would cause her to forget who she is."

Daniel nodded slowly. "Yeah, Teal'c is right; we've been through stranger things," he shrugged, thinking about Nem, memory stamps, the Reol chemical and many other things they'd encountered over the years. "Some of the things Sam has said just don't make any sense. No offense, Sam," he quickly added, blushing.

"None taken," she gave him a small smile.

"Well, why don't you two," Hank looked at Dr. King and Dr. Fraiser, "discuss this some more together. I'm supposed to be debriefing Teal'c and SG-3 right now," he elaborated, glancing at the clock.

"Indeed," Teal'c inclined his head, already having noticed the duration of this briefing exceeding the scheduled time.

"Sounds like a plan to me," Jack agreed. "And no, Doc, he's not getting clearance," he held up his hand when Janet was about to speak up.

She nodded slowly, already expecting him to react like this. "Then, with all due respect Sir, I don't think there is much left for us to discuss."

"Dr. King?" He asked the older man, although he suspected he'd agree with the petite doctor.

"I think Janet is right," Albert was inclined to agree. Obviously there was more than meets the eye here and unless he was in the know there was nothing else he could do for the colonel. "Of course you can always contact me," he told his former student as he got up. "I sincerely hope I'm wrong and that you will recover your memories soon, Colonel Carter."

"Thank you, Doctor," Sam nodded.

"Dismissed," Jack waved his hand at Janet, knowing that the others would want to stay here while Hank – and himself – would debrief SG-3 and Teal'c. They'd arrived about an hour and a half ago with no real clues as to the whereabouts of Ba'al or the baby but they did have a lead and Daniel had mentioned something about the myth around Ba'al or… whatever, he hadn't been listening knowing he'd tell them all in glorious detail after the debriefing. "And thank you for your help, Doctor King."

"Don't mention it," Albert smiled politely, nodding at everyone before he followed Janet out the door.

* * *

Daniel hurried through the corridors with three cups of coffee in his hands. SG-3 and Lt. Hailey had been held up in the infirmary since Janet was the one who had to clear them officially, even though one of her nurses or the other doctors could do the regular checkups. Therefore, he had decided he could use a cup of coffee and before he'd finished talking Jack had sent him out to get three cups of coffee, one for himself, Sam and Jack. General Landry didn't want one and Teal'c didn't drink coffee nor had they wanted anything else from the mess hall. He hoped they hadn't started the debriefing yet because it had been busy in the mess hall and it had taken him longer than planned to get back.

When he reached the briefing room he almost bumped into Colonel Reynolds who turned the other corner. "Whoa, hot coffee!"

"Sorry, didn't see you there," Albert Reynolds smirked, holding out a steadying arm to prevent the archeologist from falling and spilling the hot coffee over them. "After you," he waved towards the door and then followed him inside.

"Reynolds, where's the rest of your team?" Jack asked when he saw him enter.

"Right behind me, Sir," he replied, taking a seat at the table after receiving a nod from both generals.

Daniel handed Jack and Sam their coffee and took his seat next to Teal'c again as the rest of SG-3 and Lt. Hailey walked in.

"Have a seat," Hank said, looking up from his file. "Why don't we get started?"

Albert Reynolds glanced at Teal'c and, seeing him incline his head slightly, started the report. "We gated to P3X-367, Nirrti's former planet. Once there, we met up with Wodan and Eggar who are back to normal, they sent their thanks for helping them learn the truth about Nirrti."

"Yeah well, let's not dwell," Jack made a dismissive wave with his hand as he glanced towards Sam. He really didn't want to think about that particular mission, about how close he'd gotten to losing her.

"They were speaking the truth O'Neill," Teal'c spoke up, "when they claimed to destroy the device after our departure. They have shown us the debris and explained that Ba'al's Jaffa were also inquiring about the machine. They were not pleased to learn it had been destroyed and tried to engage in battle. However, they did not succeed."

Feeling Colonel Reynolds' eyes on her, Jennifer Hailey shifted in her seat. "It appears that they were unable to reverse the damage done to all of them and some actually refused to be treated… naturally, they were more than capable to defend their people and killed the Jaffa that couldn't get away in time."

"So," Jack drawled, looking around the table to see if there was anything else he needed to know. Apparently not. "It was a bust?"

"Not really," Daniel chimed in. "Think about it, Jack! We now know that Ba'al was looking for that DNA re-sequencer for some reason and was willing to sacrifice some of his Jaffa for it, even though we know there aren't that many who are still loyal to him."

"Indeed, it appears Ba'al wants this technology greatly."

"Alright," Hank said, satisfied for the moment. He would await their report but Reynolds and Teal'c were both experienced and knew what would be important enough to mention here, so apparently this was all there was to it. "What about P3X-584?"

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and looked at O'Neill. "We could not verify the existence of Anubis' laboratory."

Daniel turned to his right. "What do you mean?"

"There wasn't a lot there," Reynolds shrugged. "We ran into Ba'al's Jaffa but they were already transporting something to their alkesh by the time we reached them."

Hank leaned forward on the table and motioned towards Lieutenant Johnson. "I take it that's how you got hit?"

"Yes Sir," Daniel Johnson confirmed, nodding towards his shoulder. One of the Jaffa had shot at him, but the staff blast had merely seared his shoulder and hit the tree behind him. Still, it hurt like hell. "Luckily for us, they weren't as good as other Jaffa we've met over the years."

"Indeed, their abilities to engage in battle were inadequate and they bring shame to the other Jaffa by their performance and continued loyalty to a false god."

"But I thought you had something?" Jack tried not to sound too whiny, but he couldn't really help himself.

"Sir, if I may?" Jennifer Hailey asked cautiously. Receiving a nod from both generals and Colonel Reynolds, she continued. "We first gated to the planet but ended up thousands of light years off course. Colonel Reynolds ordered Mooney to dial home," she glanced at her temporary teammates, "and once back I went over the data with Chief Master Sergeant Harriman and Sergeant Siler. A gate diagnostic determined that the problem was due to the planet's peculiar security system. The system filters incoming matter based on certain protocols, for example organic vs. inanimate. Living matter arriving through the gate is stored in the buffer and triggers an automated request for an authorization code every 8.5 seconds-"

"And if the proper code is not entered in time, the gate dials a random address and empties the buffer into a new wormhole, similar to interstellar call forwarding," Sam finished for her, nodding her head in understanding. "It's a great security system."

"It is, but with the schedule and my limited experience," Jennifer begrudgingly admitted, "I was unable to write a program that would respond to the authorization request, so we would be able to bypass the security system and arrive on the planet."

"So you hitched a ride with Teal'c," Jack figured, remembering Walter blabbering something to him when he passed the control room the other day.

"Indeed O'Neill, Aron and several of his Jaffa were awaiting my return. Colonel Reynolds contacted us before we left for the planet with our Alkesh to ensure reinforcement in orbit of the planet."

"So," Daniel drawled out, glancing back and forth at Teal'c and Colonel Reynolds. "You reached the planet and then what?"

Teal'c inclined his head and continued his report. "P3X-584 is a forested world with open grassy meadows, this allowed us to scour the fields after detecting life signs on the surface."

"Teal'c took the Jaffa and we split up after Hailey detected a naquadah signature."

She nodded and opened the file in front of her to hand Colonel Carter the data from the UTD since there hadn't been any time to prep a MALP or a UAV for transport in the alkesh. "It appeared similar to the gate signature, but we knew that wasn't the one."

"When we came closer," Penhall continued, "I noticed the not-so-covertly hidden ring platform."

"And…?" Hank prompted anxiously.

"They didn't work," Jennifer sighed, rolling her eyes. It seemed as if she did nothing but fail these last few weeks. It had all started with that mission to hunt one of Ba'al's clones and they ended up finding Colonel Carter! Well, no thanks to her because her lack of thinking cost the colonel precious hours simply because she hadn't checked the naquadah signature, thinking she knew everything. "I don't know if the signature of the platform didn't match because it was dead or maybe turned off or something."

"Ring platform?" Sam questioned, looking around the table.

Daniel scrunched up his nose. "Ah, something like an elevator only it are rings instead of a car and they transport you by dematerializing and rematerializing your molecules."

"Instead of just going up and down," Jack lamely added, making a hand gesture to emphasize his words. "So, it didn't work and you met up with Teal'c, kicked some Jaffa ass and got back?"

"Indeed."

"Unfortunately the alkesh still got away," Albert grimaced. "And because the ring transport didn't work we don't know if the lab perhaps was underground and they took something from it."

Sam flipped through the rest of the folder the young lieutenant had given her and came across some of the pictures of the device. "What kind of anut ar shenu kesh did you use?"

"Hailey?" Jack barked, glancing at the two women in the briefing room. "Is it just me or…?"

Daniel shook his head and saw the blank faces around him. "I have no idea."

"Colonel Carter is referring to a ring transporter control device to activate platform," Teal'c supplied, one eyebrow raised. "These are usually implemented in a ribbon device but there are specific platforms that need a particular device otherwise they do not function."

"Oh," Sam gasped, "I did it again, didn't I?"

"Don't worry about it, Carter," Jack reassured her, patting her knee under the table. "I think you may have actually offered a solution here; Teal'c, can you get us another one of those new cashes?"

He contemplated this for a moment before speaking up. "Perhaps one of the Jaffa has one in their possession taken from their false god. However, these anut ar shenu keshes are specific for a limited amount of transporter rings."

"There isn't a, err… universal kind?" Daniel asked. "No pun intended."

"Indeed there is not otherwise it would have been activated once Aron used the transporter rings aboard the alkesh."

"Right," he mumbled, glancing at Sam and Lt. Hailey. "Couldn't you, you know, crack it or something?"

Jennifer glanced at Colonel Carter. "I guess we could try," she shrugged, not having a lot of experience yet with dealing with alien technology but the colonel most definitely had! What better way than to learn?

"I can reprogram it," Sam stated confidently, knowing she could. The designs were clear in her mind and she knew exactly what to do, all she needed was one to tinker with! "But I will probably have to go to the planet to get the right frequency."

"I don't know if that is such a good idea, Colonel," Hank said cautiously. He wasn't sure if she was up to it. Besides, it wasn't like she was cleared for gate travel! She was still on medical leave after all!

Jack shrugged. "We'll see if it's necessary, maybe Hailey can do the part on the planet," he suggested. However, he knew he'd sent Sam out there with Teal'c and Daniel – and SG-3 as back up – if it was necessary even if she didn't have all of her memories. It was one of the best leads they had! He was certain Anubis' lab was on the other side of the ring platform and it might give them an idea of what Ba'al had stolen and that could lead to his whereabouts!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you for 'A Karswyll' who once again bailed me out with a fanon term for the ring transporter device! Anut means ray of light/beam, ar is transport, shenu ring and we decided that kesh is a device worn around the hand or wrist.


	25. Exhausted

"Hailey," Jack barked as he saw her in the end of the corridor. The young lieutenant froze at his voice and swiftly turned to face him, making him smirk slightly. She reminded him a bit of Carter when they first met, only more arrogant, with a bigger chip on her shoulder and way more reprimands in her file – especially compared with the fact that Carter was already a captain when they met and Hailey barely finished the Academy. Not to mention that Carter's file was close to perfect. Still, he always liked barking at unsuspecting airmen and watch them jump slightly.

"Yes, Sir," Jennifer Hailey replied as she walked up to him and stood at attention.

"At ease, lieutenant," he waved his hand.

She nodded and relaxed slightly, while waiting for him to say what he wanted. General O'Neill was intimidating, even if she'd 'worked' with him before when he was a colonel. Now he was the director of Homeworld Security and apparently married to Colonel Carter! "Can I help you with something, General, Sir?"

Jack narrowed his eyes at her and leaned slightly forward, chuckling on the inside when he saw her swallow hard. She thought she was special – and according to Sam she was, or at least her brain was – but he couldn't help remind her of her position every now and then. The only reason she hadn't been booted from the Academy was because of Carter's influence with General Kerrigan – which reminded Jack that he should really check out the man to see if he was up to his job, considering he'd let a mere major influence his decision. It didn't matter that Carter had been said major and that she was brilliant or that she thought Hailey was needed at the SGC.

The young lieutenant had displayed difficult behavior during her time as a cadet in the Academy and Jack didn't mind making sure Hailey knew that her attitude needed work. It took more than a big honking brain to work in the AF and Hailey wasn't quite there yet. Although he had to admit to himself she'd been proving Carter right – with her assumption that Hailey could fit in the SGC – since working with SG-3, with the exception of the error she'd made when they found Sam. But that was probably more due to Reynolds being her CO than her change in attitude. Still, he liked intimidating her every now and then just to keep her on her toes and make sure she'd realize her place in the chain of command and wouldn't act out like she had in the Academy simply because she was  _bored_. It was obvious she didn't have a lot of experience and wasn't very mature, because if he'd acted out every time he'd gotten bored… well, he wouldn't have made general. Especially not with those seven years on SG-1, listening to Daniel's rock speech and Carter's techno babble.

"Sir?"

He startled – not visibly – from his thoughts and straightened. "Where's Carter? I thought you two would be all over that bracelet thingy Teal'c got from the Free Jaffa."

Jennifer bit back a smile at his reply and tried to look like the confident first lieutenant she was supposed to be. She assumed the general still wasn't satisfied with her behavior, although she had been trying ever since being stationed at the SGC. But she was still aware of the administrative reprimands she'd gotten at the Academy and she knew the general's reputation about what he expected from his team, his people. She probably still had a long way to go before he'd think she was a capable soldier  _and_ scientist, but she would try! "Yes Sir, we were but the Colonel dismissed me over three hours ago."

Jack surreptitiously glanced at his watch and noted the time. It was getting late, past midnight already and he'd hardly noticed. "Thank you, Lieutenant."

"Yes Sir," she nodded.

"I assume Carter dismissed you to make sure you'd get enough rest for tomorrow's mission," he glared at her. "So I would suggest you'd head to your quarters, Lieutenant."

Jennifer bobbed her head, resisting the urge to glance over her shoulder. She'd only been on her way to check on the control room, make sure everything was alright and maybe get a glimpse of the latest gate diagnostic; Colonel Carter had already worked on the data from P3X-584 and had written a program – Jennifer had no idea when she'd done that because they'd spent hours together and the colonel had only gotten the data before noon – that would respond to the authorization code request so that the next teams would be able to use the gate and bypass the security system. She'd been hoping to work on it herself or maybe together with Colonel Carter, but since that was out she'd figured a glimpse at the data wouldn't hurt anyone. And what if she'd planned to check on the briefing room afterwards? To see what the new planets were and which teams were going where and if she was still attached to SG-3. "Yes Sir," she relented, knowing he'd probably already figured her out – after all, he'd worked with Colonel Carter for years – and decided to head to her quarters and rest.

"I'll assume Carter is still in her lab," Jack mumbled more to himself than Hailey and looked up at the lieutenant. "Let's go to the elevator."

"Yes Sir," Jennifer said as respectful as possible, knowing he'd make sure she'd go to level twenty-five and followed him.

Just after Jack pushed the button, the elevator doors opened and they both stepped in. "Captain Connor," he nodded at the man already inside.

"General, Sir."

"You make sure Lieutenant Hailey goes down to her quarters at level twenty-five," he ordered as he pushed the button for Sam's lab.

Laurence Connor nodded and glanced at the young woman next to him. "Yes Sir, I will escort her to the door personally."

"Thanks Connor," Jack smirked and patted the man's shoulder. "See you tomorrow Hailey," he remarked and stepped out of the car as they reached level nineteen. Connor was a good guy and Jack knew he could trust him to do as he said and it would also ensure that Hailey stayed in her room instead of sneaking off towards the control room or something. Better nip that workaholic trait in the bud before she'd reach Carter or Daniel's levels.

Speaking of Carter… Jack rounded the corner and softly padded over to her lab. The door was still halfway open so he soundlessly slipped in. The light was dim and it took his eyes a few milliseconds to adjust. He was wondering whether he should smile or be angry about the sight that greeted him; Sam, slumped on her workbench obviously sleeping with her doohickey just inches from her hands, wires still attached to connect it to her softly buzzing laptop. "Sam," he said in a low tone as he stepped up to her and picked up that bracelet thingy Teal'c had gotten her. "Samantha," he drawled out as he placed the alien tech on the other side of the workbench, in case she'd knock it over when waking.

She had to be really tired to fall asleep in that uncomfortable position and not waking when he called her. Jack tried again to whisper her name as he placed his hand on her shoulder. When he leaned over her hunched form he realized she was dreaming as her eyes were moving underneath her eyelids and he could swear she made minute facial expressions. She didn't look like she was enjoying the dream and, remembering her nightmares he shook her shoulder a little harder. "Sam, wake up. Sam… Carter!" Her breathing hitched and he felt the muscles under his hand stiffen. "Sam?"

Taking a deep breath, Sam forced herself to calm down. She'd recognized Jack's voice immediately, but his hand had startled her. Slowly, she opened her eyes and turned her head in his direction. "Jack?"

"You fell asleep," he stated, his tone of voice between gruff and reassuring – surprising himself – when her eyes opened and he was looking into her blue orbs. He wanted to reprimand her for not taking good care of herself, working herself to exhaustion until she literally fell asleep. Yet, at the same time he wanted to wrap his arms around her.

"I know," she rubbed her face with both hands as she straightened up, grimacing when she felt her back muscles protest. "I was so tired but I just had to finish the last synchronization and-"

Jack pressed his fingers against her lips, effectively stopping her from talking as she looked up in wonder at him. "It's too late for techno babble."

Sam smiled shyly, nodding her understanding and went to unhook the wrist device from her laptop. As she did so, her screen sprang back to life. "Oh look!"

"What?" He frowned, watching the screen with its tiny letters.

"The reprogramming is done but there is a chance that it needs to be slightly adjusted to the correct frequency at the site," she explained as she scanned through the report.

Letting his hand slide from her shoulder, Jack brushed her long hair aside and placed both of his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging her strained muscles. "Time for bed, Sam. You can tell everyone at the briefing of 0800 hours and instruct Hailey on how to readjust the doohickey when they reach the ring transporter. C'mon," he whispered, placing a kiss on her crown.

Sam closed her eyes briefly and leaned back against his broad chest, enjoying the contact. Sighing, she opened her eyes again and shut off the laptop and other machinery in her lab. "There, all done," she smiled up at him, reaching for his hand.

Although it felt strange to Jack to freely touch her while they were in her lab, the entire SGC actually, he entwined their fingers and pulled her out of the lab. In the corridor, he swiped his security pass to close and lock the blast doors of her lab and led the way back to the elevators.

* * *

Daniel reached out to his left, knowing his trusted coffee cup should be there – in its righteous place – and his fingers automatically found it without him taking his eyes of the text he was reading. Bringing the cup to his lips, he took a sip and… almost spluttered from the taste of cooled down coffee. With disgust he placed the cup back on the table and reached to his right to grab his notebook and pen. Quickly scribbling down the paragraph of interest he straightened from his hunched position and lifted his glasses to rub his tired eyes. He was almost through! Well, with the stack of books in front of him, there were two more stacks on the other side of his desk…

Yawning, he grabbed the coffee cup and walked to the corner of his lab to throw the cold liquid away and refill the cup. He was smart enough to get a heating plate after getting back from Abydos and it was probably the best product he'd ever bought. Well, with the exception of the actual coffee of course, but it kept it warm while he was working. Bringing the cup up he inhaled deeply, enjoying the aroma before taking a sip and letting the caffeine do its work while the liquid warmed him from the inside. They were under a mountain and although pleasant during the summer with the air conditioning it wasn't very comfortable in the winter. Especially not when he was working late at night in his lab, hardly moving… well, his hands and his head moved, but that was about the only thing. He would probably be warmer if he moved around a bit – other than walking around the lab to refill his cup or get another book – and kept the circulation in his body going. Ah well, he was almost done for the night anyway and then he could go back to his quarters and get some sleep. It wasn't like he was sleepy now anyway.

Stretching his frame, he walked back to his original position and leaned over the table. He'd been researching a lot of the mythology of Ba'al that was known on Earth, but it was hindered by the fact that the word 'Baal' also meant 'owner' and 'master' and was used to refer to several deities as well as some human officials. In the bible he was even referred to as Beelzebub, one of Satan's fallen angels. Daniel, however, was looking for references to the ancient religions in which the name denoted sun, lord or god. The Great Baal of Canaan – son of El, the high God of Canaan – and the Canaanite fertility deity. From what he'd learned of the Tok'ra was that he was indeed also the one later on known as Baal-Hadad, the lord of thunder and apparently he later specialized in several other functions too, making him the deity of fertility, thunder and rain.

There were several interesting stories about the struggles Ba'al apparently went through, including one with the Canaanite god of death, Mot and even one with Cronus. But seeing as how they knew Mot and Cronus had both been killed a couple of years ago, he didn't think it was of any importance for tomorrow morning's briefing. There were, however, a few interesting stories about his goddess, Ba'alat – which again referred to several deities as it was the female form of Ba'al – and his cohorts, who Daniel assumed were mistresses although that wasn't always true. He still had to look up several references to the cohorts and even Ba'alat, but that was where the other piles of books came in.  _Not tonight, though_ , he thought as he glanced at the clock. It was almost 0130 hours and he needed to get some sleep because he intended to look over the rest of the books in the morning, before the first briefing.

General Landry had said the first briefing was at 0800 hours and had actually handed out a schedule, because the entire morning had been filled with briefings before several teams went on recon to Ba'al's former planets or known habitats. Daniel knew that Sam had been doing a great together with Jack the last couple of days, with coordinating the missions and teams. Now that Doctor King had left four days ago and they still weren't closer to helping Sam remember, Janet had allowed him to give Sam a small summary about the Goa'uld so that she would know what they were dealing with. She had taken it rather well, even asked some important questions but he'd noticed that she hadn't asked anything personal about Ba'al. Secretly, he was glad about that because he really didn't want to tell her about Jack's visit to his secret base after Kanan. They still didn't know what Sam had gone through, although she was still having regular nightmares but couldn't seem to remember in the morning what they'd been about. Perhaps it was a good thing. Then again, if she would know about her time with Ba'al, she might know where he was and what he was planning… and where Baby O'Neill was. He didn't want to push her though, she would probably over think that sort of information, only making her nightmares worse as well her sense of guilt of not remembering her baby and leaving it behind with a megalomaniac. Well, they all assumed that was what happened, but they couldn't be sure of course.

Daniel groaned and closed the last book, checking his notes for in the morning and quickly swallowed the last of his coffee. Time to go to his quarters. He took the stairs so that he could check if Sam was still working, although he doubted Jack would let her work till this late and he was right. Her lab was already locked up and he was happy that she was taking good care of herself. Or maybe Jack had hauled her out of her lab, that was another possibility. He was hopeful that she'd finished reprogramming the wrist device they – SG-3 most likely – would need to activate the ring transporter on P3X-584 to enter Anubis' secret lab. Everyone had been in agreement that if the stargate on that planet had such a security measure as SG-3 and Hailey had encountered  _and_ Ba'al's Jaffa had been transporting  _something_  to their alkesh, the laboratory must really be there. And as there were no indications of a lab on the surface of the planet and the only thing they hadn't been able to investigate were the ring transporters, it was a pretty good assumption that they would find the lab underground. That was why Teal'c had left after the debriefing and it had only taken him 30 hours to return with one of those wrist devices Sam had been asking about.

 _Oh!_  That reminded him; he really should start writing down all the terminology Sam had been using. The words were foreign to them – well, most not to Teal'c – but once she mentioned them he was able to translate them and he was sure he could eventually understand what she meant if Teal'c didn't know it already. Teal'c, however, wasn't the kind of person to sit down with him to tell him about all the Goa'uld terms he knew, so it was up to Daniel to expand his vocabulary in order to help Sam and contribute to the Goa'uld dictionary he and some colleagues were making.

Without even realizing it, Daniel found himself back at the elevator and pushed the button. It only took a minute for the car to reach his level and the doors opened slowly. Yawning again, he stepped in and pushed the button for level twenty-five, ready to turn in for the night as his thoughts were all over the place and he couldn't even focus anymore. He hadn't realized how tired he was until now.

* * *

Sam gasped as she woke, her heart pounding in her chest and almost drenched in sweat.  _Oh God_ ,  _it seemed so real!_

"Easy Sam," Jack whispered, slowly sitting up on the bed, his back leaning against the headboard and pulling her against his chest. "It wasn't real, it was just a nightmare."

She tried getting her breathing under control as he stroked her back soothingly and idly wondered if she'd spoken the words aloud or if it was his normal response. With her behavior it must have been clear that she'd been having a bad dream. The blood was still rushing through her veins, making it hard to hear anything especially Jack's soft whispers. Her panting was loud and clear, though. letting out a shuddering breath, Sam closed her eyes again, fighting against the images that returned to her.

Feeling her hand fist his shirt, Jack looked down at her face. "Sam?"

"I," she started, forcing herself to slow her breathing and calm her racing heart, "I-I… I think I remember something."

Jack froze, his arms unconsciously tightening around her. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what had scared her so much. Clearing his throat, he leaned down, nuzzling her hair noticing her bangs were stuck to her skin due to her perspiring. She'd woken him with her restlessness – not that it took much to wake him while he was asleep – and pulling on the covers as her hands were twisting the fabric. It had been almost as if she was fighting something – or someone? Her body writhing on the mattress in agony had been too much for him and he'd grabbed her shoulders – her skin cool to the touch despite her sweating and flushed face – and gently shook her until she woke up. He wasn't sure if he'd been the one to wake her from the nightmare or if she'd waken on her own. "Tell me," he whispered in a hoarse tone, knowing that he had to help her, even if he wasn't sure he wanted her to remember.

Gnawing her lip, Sam snuggled closer to his chest. His body was warm and she was getting cold, not to mention that she felt so safe in his arms. "There was a man," she breathed, forcing herself to relax in Jack's hug. "I can see him in my mind, his image is so clear," she frowned, not understanding why she remembered his face, even the sound of his voice but she couldn't remember his name. "His voice was strange; sometimes almost metallic and other times normal…. Was that what Daniel meant when he was telling me about the Goa'uld the other day?"

He nodded, unable to form words as he wasn't sure what would come out of his mouth if he opened it. He wanted her to stop, to forget and at the same time he wanted her to recall every detail if it could help her get all of her memory back and lead them to their baby. He pulled her a little closer, letting his chin rest on her crown as his one hand continued to rub soothing circles on her back.

"Those Tok'ra," Sam recalled, tilting her head back to look at him but his eyes were closed, "they do that as well? Their symbiotes when they speak? I know I asked General Landry about it when those women were here, but he gave me some lame excuse about the acoustics of the infirmary."

Jack almost snorted at that, unable to imagine anyone trying to get away with that excuse when talking to Samantha Carter, but his thoughts quickly sobered. "What about the man?"

His voice rumbled in his chest and she enjoyed the comforting feeling that washed over her, making sure rub her cheek against his shirt and place her ear over his heart. The steady beat could calm her own still somewhat erratic heartbeat and she took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of Jack O'Neill before conjuring up the image of the man again. "He's tall, dark hair and a goatee… forty-something, dark eyes, dark style of clothing, always wearing some kind of cape…."

Hearing her voice trail off, Jack leaned to his left and grabbed the small notepad and pen that was lying on the side table and handed it to her. He already knew she was talking about Ba'al, but he didn't want her to forget everything in the morning. "Here."

"You want me to draw his face?" She asked, disbelieving. While the man's image was clear in her mind, it didn't mean she could convey it on paper just like that.

"No," he chuckled, "I've seen your artwork, Carter. Just write down what you remember," he glanced down at her as she started writing. "Don't leave anything out," he added softly.

"I won't," she shook her head as she straightened, leaning away from him to balance the small notepad on her thigh so she could write properly. The lack of lighting wasn't helping her much, either. "I don't remember that much… not yet, at least," she smiled up at Jack, but to her surprise he wasn't looking as pleased as she'd expected. She was remembering something, wasn't that a good thing? "What are you doing?"

"Changing the sheets," Jack replied as he removed the ones on the bed. Although his side was still dry and clean, he knew that if her appearance was anything to go by her side of the bed would be clammy. "Are you done?" He asked when she put the pad down. Seeing her nod, he jerked his head to the small bathroom attached to the bedroom – sometimes the VIP rooms really were better than the guest or crew quarters – and pulled the last of the sheet off. "Take off your clothes and hop in the shower."

Sam did as she was told, already able to find her way in the dark room now that her eyes were adjusting and she was beginning to recognize her surroundings. Making her way over to the bathroom, she pulled her top over her head and threw it in the hamper when she entered. Quickly turning on the water, she pulled her panties off and grabbed a towel before stepping under the stream of water. As soon as her body temperature returned to normal, she started lathering her body, making sure not to stimulate her breasts too much otherwise she'd have another… letdown reflex. "Great," she mumbled to herself, turning to wash her breasts clean again. It did look like the actual amount of milk was lessening, as Janet had told her it would because she wasn't breastfeeding her baby. Soon the 'problem' would go away on its own, the petite doctor had assured her. The real problem though, was that Sam wasn't sure if that was what she wanted. Sure, it was inconvenient as hell but what if they found their baby soon? Shaking her head, she decided to follow Jack's advice for once and not over think everything.  _Just take it one step at the time_ , _Sam_ , she told herself. Finally feeling alive again now that she was getting warm and clean, Sam let out a satisfied sigh and leaned her head back to enjoy the gentle massage on her scalp. She startled when the lights suddenly turned on and after blinking her eyes she watched Jack shed his shirt and boxers.

"Here you go," Jack held out the towel she'd grabbed earlier as he waited for her to get out of the shower.

Wringing her hair after stepping out from underneath the water cascade, Sam cocked her head to the side. "You're not going to join me?"

"Better not," he mumbled, allowing his eyes a quick onceover of her naked, wet body. "C'mere," he beckoned her with his free hand and, as she stepped out of the cubicle, wrapped the large bath towel around her form. "I'll be there in five," he added as he gently pushed her towards the door.

Sam nodded mutely and wrapped the towel tightly around her body as she grabbed another one for her hair. Slowly she made her way over to the bedroom and toweled herself and her hair dry, before diving into the closet and pulling a tank top and panties. She'd just crawled into bed and, determined not to think about her nightmare and just sleep, inhaled the scent of clean sheets as Jack padded over to the bedroom.

"Hey," he protested when the light on her side of the bed was turned off, once again veiling the room in darkness. He'd turned it on after she'd gone to the bathroom in order to actually see the bed he was making and had decided to leave it on for when they got back.

"I'm tired," she countered, rolling on her side to face him – once he finally got in bed – and wrapped herself tightly in the covers. "It's too bright."

"Fine," Jack relented, pulling on the boxers he'd grabbed before she turned off the only source of light. Ah well, it wasn't like he needed a shirt anyway.

Sam waited until he stepped into bed and scooted over to her, before leaning in and giving him a soft kiss. "Goodnight."

"G'night Sam," he replied, lying on his back and pulling her flush against his side. Her leg immediately came up to lie across his and it made him smile. He could lie like this forever, with the woman he loved in his arms, clean sheets surrounding them…. They hadn't tried to make love again after the last time, when Sam had the letdown reflex and the subsequent gloomy mood she'd been going through. He wasn't all that happy either, but as long as he had Sam he knew he'd be alright. He understood why she hadn't initiated anything, it was probably the same reasons he had. Jack knew that she was still feeling guilty over not remembering and leaving their child behind, but he'd meant it when he said it wasn't her fault. However, he was afraid of forcing her into anything she wasn't ready for. The last time she'd made it perfectly clear she was ready for this, but he knew she was still emotionally upset about everything they'd learned. Hell, he was emotionally upset and confused too! He loved her, he could wait until she was ready. After all, he'd waited eight years for her – if not a lifetime. He was already slumbering when Sam turned out of his embrace and rolled onto her other side, facing the wall. Deciding she was probably just restless, Jack closed his eyes again and forced himself asleep.

It couldn't have been more than twenty minutes when he finally opened his eyes again. "Sam."

"Hmm?"

"Stop tossing and turning," he gently scolded her. All her wriggling was driving him crazy and not just because her long legs skimmed his every now and then. No, he was pretty sure the mattress was intended – of not made – for military people who could will themselves to sleep, because it wasn't a very solid mattress and every time she turned it made him almost bounce off. "Go to sleep."

"I'm trying," she hissed, finally rolling back to face him again, not that she could see much. "I can't help it."

"Just… think nothing."

Sam raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. "Well, that doesn't really work."

"You're over thinking things."

"I'm not," she shook her head to emphasize her words, before realizing he probably couldn't see the movement in the dark – if he'd even opened his eyes that is.

Letting out a deep sigh, Jack turned to her and pulled her against him. "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours?"

"I don't know," she imitated his sigh, "I just can't seem to stop thinking about my nightmare."

Jack rolled her over to her other side so that he was spooning her, one arm around her waist and the other pillowing her head. "Just clear your head and concentrate on your breathing."

"I can't," Sam replied after trying for a full five minutes. "When I close my eyes I see him again, I hear your heartbeat, mine, my blood rushing through my head, the ticking of the clock in the sitting area or the dripping of the shower."

Surprised, he raised his brows. "You can actually hear the dripping of the shower? And the clock?"

"I don't know, it sounds like it," she replied testily. She was getting frustrated because she wanted to sleep and everything just kept distracting her. Even the warm shower and the clean sheets hadn't helped, despite her body feeling lazy.

He chuckled softly, only to get an elbow in the ribs from his very frustrated wife apparently. "Easy Sam," Jack tried to keep the amusement out of his voice. He was pretty sure she was imagining the clock and the shower, after all, he'd closed the door of the bedroom. "Just relax," he tried in a calming voice. "And stop squirming," because that was so not helping him.

She yawned loudly, bringing up one hand to cover her mouth. "I'm so tired," she complained.

Jack knew she was; she'd been working a lot these last few days, especially today in her lab all day, even though Fraiser had said that she wasn't fit for duty. Nowhere near, probably. She still hadn't regained all of her weight and tired easily, he wasn't sure if the latter was an after effect of the sarcophagus withdrawal, emotional exhaustion or something else. He nuzzled her neck softly, enjoying the scent of her hair, her skin and just her essence. "Sam, do you trust me?" He whispered as his fingers caressed her stomach.

"Yes," she replied in the same hushed tone without thinking as his breath hit the back of her neck. "Why?" She almost moaned when he started kissing her shoulder and neck and she did moan when his hand traveled lower. "Oh!"

He smirked against her soft skin as his hand slid between her thighs, cupping her through her skimpy panties. Her heat was almost burning to his touch and he couldn't help himself but add a little more pressure until she squirmed in his hold. "Just, relax."

Sam swallowed and nodded in reply as he started kissing the soft spot behind her ear. His long elegant fingers started caressing her through the fabric of her underwear and she arched her back wantonly. "More."

Her breathless request only turned him on even more and Jack bit back a growl when she pressed her six against him. He automatically pushed his hips into her, grinding himself against her round ass as his fingers picked up the pace.

When she closed her eyes, all Sam was aware of was the wonderful things his fingers were doing to her, his hard erection pressing against her and his tongue tracing the outline of her ear, before dipping in. Automatically she reached down to cover his hand with her own, forcing him to tighten his hold on her mound even more as she started moving against his hand. "Jack," she gasped as his fingers roughly rubbed the fabric of her panties against her clit.

Taking her earlobe between his teeth, Jack sucked on it before gently biting it and at the same pushing his fingers against her. Her panties were already wet, slowly getting soaked as his fingers continued their ministrations and he was tempted to slide his other arm underneath her to cup her breast but was afraid he would stimulate her too much and he knew she was still slightly freaked when she was leaking milk. Not that he'd mind, but he didn't want to kill the mood. Not when she was doing… "Oh God," _that_  with her hips, grinding back against him as she circled her hips.

"Please," Sam moaned, pushing on his hand, trying to tell him what she wanted – needed – him to do. His touch was already spreading fire through her body, her breath hard to catch as his caresses were driving her up the wall and his wet tongue was sliding in and out of her ear. It was the most erotic feeling she could remember and she wanted him to do the same with other parts of their anatomy. "Jack," she growled, moving her hips faster against his hand as hers kept his still.

Finally relenting, Jack hooked his fingertips under the fabric and gently explored her folds. She was so wet and the movements of her hips were almost guiding – if not forcing – him as he circled her opening with his nails, before tracing back up to her clit. She hissed and shuddered when he touched the sensitive bundle of nerves, making him feel ridiculously proud, before he moved back down again to slide a finger inside of her.

"Oh yes, oh god."

He thrust his hips against her in the same rhythm as his finger inside of her, while he started kissing down her neck. It was so tempting to roll her over – on her back or front, he wasn't particularly picky at the moment – tear her clothes off and make her his, claim her body with one single thrust into her wet heat, but this was for her not him. Jack reined in his desire and added another finger, gently stretching her as he didn't falter in his rhythm. Slowly nipping the soft skin of her neck gave him an unsuspecting view down her tank top of her full breasts that were bouncing slightly as she tried to increase the friction with her own movements. "You feel so amazing," he murmured against her skin as he picked up his pace and pulled his fingers out farther before pushing them in completely.

Sam gasped at the sensations running through her body with his rough movement, her hips bucking as he kept up the movement but twisted his fingers slightly as he pushed them back inside of her, hitting her sensitive spot with his tips. "Oh god, Jack," she turned her head into the pillow out of desire, frustration, desperation – she didn't know, her brain was melting, she was sure of it. He kept bringing her to the edge and then slowed until he listened to her pleadings and picked up the pace. God, he was killing her!

"Come for me, Sam," he whispered in her ear, his words blowing some of her long strands of hair out of his face. Jack decided he liked the new hair, silky as it was, touching and tickling his face… it was erotic. Then again, he thought pretty much everything about Sam was erotic so he really shouldn't be so surprised. His lips found her pulse point in her neck and he kissed it, before gently scraping his teeth over the skin as he forced another finger in her tightness.

"Oh, oh yes," she moaned at the intrusion, her back arching while his hips kept grinding against her rear. "Jack…."

He finally maneuvered his thumb out from under her hand and slipped it under the fabric of her panties as well, immediately finding her sensitive clit and tweaking it, scraping his nails over it before pressing down made her buck and scream his name as her orgasm exploded almost violently inside of her. For a moment he feared her inner muscles were cutting of the circulation to his fingers as she kept writhing in his arms, moaning and whimpering incoherently. God, she was beautiful. Jack kept up his caresses until she came down from her high and gently extracted his fingers from her, while he kept petting her nerve bundle. "Goodnight Sam," he whispered in her ear, pressing a kiss beneath it as her breathing slowed out. He knew he was feeling inordinately proud that he knew how to manipulate her body, to forestall her climax and then make her crash. It had always tired her enough to fall asleep within moments and this time it was no different. He smirked and gently extricated his hand from between her legs and rolled on his back as he licked his fingers clean. Now all he had to do was calm his own body enough to finally fall asleep again, he thought as he glared at his throbbing erection.


	26. Myths and Missions

"General O'Neill, Colonels Reynolds and Carter and I have put together this roster. Here you can all see which team will be going to check out what planet and Walter will keep it up to date by regularly checking on the Tok'ra subspace network and processing the already visited planets as well." Hank explained as he used a pointer to highlight several terms on the projection screen. "Due to Colonel Barnes' experience in recon SG-6 will be going on recon missions for known locations while SG-16 will replace them to visit friendly worlds to get information on Ba'al and possible accomplices. Other than that there are no changes in the listed teams, meaning that SG-2, -3, -4, -6, -12, -13 and -22 will be doing the recon while SG-8, -9 and -16 will be gathering Intel."

"If there are any questions in the coming days," Jack spoke up when Hank looked at him, "speak to Walter and he will direct the problem with General Landry, Colonel Reynolds or myself. Since some of the recon missions will require more backup than simply one team, it is possible one of the non-listed SG-teams will be called upon and there are also several lieutenants that haven't been assigned a position on an SG team yet and other new recruits available."

"Sir?"

"Yes Thompson?"

Ryan Thompson sat up in his chair and glanced up at the screen, making sure his own team, SG-7, wasn't on the roster. "Am I correct to assume finding Ba'al and the child are the main goals of the SGC now?"

"Yes, you are Major," Hank replied. The briefing room was pretty full with all the SG team leaders attending, but he could still make out the faces. Normally he would schedule several briefings with the team leaders divided in groups, but this was an important briefing and the rest of the day was already filled with separate briefings for the teams that were going off world today or tomorrow. Besides, every team leader would get a folder with the discussed information afterwards.

"In that case, Sirs, my team will be more than happy to assist since our mission on P3B-645 is over and the retrieval of the two alkeshes was successful. We haven't been assigned a new mission yet and if possible we would like to help, Sir."

Hank nodded pensively and flipped through the folder in front of him. "Very well, Major. I know Doctor Lee and some of the techs from Area 51 are examining the alkeshes as we speak, so your team can accompany SG-3 to P3X-584 in two hours. Your scientific and medical expertise might be needed once you have access to Anubis' lab."

Jack glanced at the clock and noticed that it was almost time for Daniel's briefing on Ba'al and Earth mythology, which was promising to be a blast. "If there aren't any other questions, we will continue with Daniel's little talk about Ba'al. This information can be important," he could hardly believe himself saying such a thing, but he knew Daniel's knowledge had saved their asses many times in the past. "So we are all going to be very attentive because it might help us to find Ba'al or one of his accomplices. It might even lead us to an unknown location."

"Several of you won't have to attend," Hank continued, "because of other engagements, you know who you are. The recon teams have scheduled briefings this morning with further information about the planets they are going to visit and I expect all of you to bring your team with you as well as the backup you might think you need. Consult with Major Davis for SG teams and SGC recruits who are available. Dismissed."

Jack watched as several team leaders left the room and suddenly was grateful for his aide, Major Davis, for getting here as fast as he had so that he wouldn't have to deal with everything himself. He needed to hear what Daniel had to say as well, especially because it could give him some information about Ba'al that he didn't know yet. Perhaps learn what makes him tick, besides the snake in his head and his thirst for galactic domination. It wouldn't be much longer until Space Monkey would join them and he quickly got up to get himself a cup of coffee, assuming he would be sitting in the dark for the coming hour and perhaps the caffeine could keep him awake. "Teal'c," he smirked when his Jaffa friend walked into the room, "do you know what's keeping Danny Boy?"

"Indeed I do," he replied, inclining his head before seating himself on his usual chair. It was rather crowded in the briefing room with the seven team leaders, O'Neill and General Landry present, yet the Tau'ri were wise enough to leave his chair vacant. He smiled inwardly when he noticed the chair next to O'Neill was reserved for Colonel Carter as well. "Daniel Jackson insisted on finishing the final chapter on one of Ba'al's cohorts before gathering his carefully made notations in his brown leather journal. Colonel Carter assured me she would escort him in time for the briefing."

"In that case I'm sure they'll be here soon," Hank nodded, satisfied as he jotted down the change in the mission to P3X-584.

Frowning, Jack glanced between the two of them. "Hank, we're talking here about Carter and Daniel… maybe Walter should call down."

Albert Reynolds chuckled, knowing Jack was right; how many times had those two been working through the night only to notice it was morning already by the time he and Jack would've gotten down to the mountain after a good night's sleep? "Sir, I just saw Colonel Carter in the gate room and it looked like she was on her way up here," he informed them. He'd been staring out of the room while sipping from his coffee, thankful for the chance to stretch his legs between briefings. He knew that he was going to have to get his team and Hailey together after this briefing and then they would be next after SG-2. Hailey hadn't signed out last night so he assumed she was still on base. Normally he wouldn't have to worry about his team getting enough rest, but these days Hailey was almost their fifth member and she had that workaholic trait like most of the scientists around here.

"Ah, good," he replied, moving away from the coffee maker to look out the window. Reynolds was right; Jack could easily spot the blond ponytail of his wife from up here while she was tinkering away at the MALP. Daniel was standing next to Major Wood, while Siler was lying partially underneath the MALP. "Looks like Carter is fixing the MALP for SG-2's mission to P2M-903 in three hours."

* * *

"Sorry we're late," Daniel apologized as he and Sam walked into the briefing room, everyone was clearly waiting for them. "I was caught up with a Phoenician text I found and then Siler needed Sam to fix the infrared scanners on the MALP."

"Very well," Hank Landry mumbled, waiting for the two to take a seat.

Jack sighed dramatically and waved his hand to the white screen. "Just get started, Danny Boy."

"Right," Daniel nodded and walked up to the screen, inserting his flash drive to the laptop standing on a side table to give his presentation. He knew most people in this room were military and they were more like Jack than Sam, so he figured he could use the visual representation to try and keep their attention. "Well, as most of you know we've met Ba'al about three years ago when Jack was, err… with the Tok'ra. Actually, I already saw him at the summit of the System Lords the year before but we didn't have a lot of information on him, just what the Tok'ra told us-"

"Which as usual wasn't much," Jack mumbled, just loud enough for Daniel to hear.

Scowling at his friend, Daniel started the presentation on the screen and grabbed a pointer. "Anyway," he pushed up his glasses, "he has a reputation for vindictiveness and revenge, which I think we are all aware of with everything that has been going on since Jack and Ba'al met. However, this past decade we've also learned that a lot of mythology regarding the 'gods,'" he made air quotes before continuing, "the Goa'uld portray has a grain of truth. Therefore, I've been studying several books and myths regarding the Great Baal of Canaan and Hadad, or Baal-Hadad as he was named. You see," Daniel clicked to show the next slide and circled the several names and meanings of the God with his pointer.

"The word 'Baal' has several meanings in various languages from the Semitic owner, master, keeper, husband to denote sun, lord or god in ancient religions and it was a common name of small Syrian and Persian deities. We know from the Goa'uld and Tok'ra that Ba'al is supposed to portray the God of fertility, thunder and rain, which indicates that he is the one known as the The Great Baal of Canaan and Hadad. Either way, he was the son of El, the first Canaan god and thus leader of the gods. El wore bull's horns, the symbol of strength and was represented as an old man. It is thought that he corresponded to the Hebrew god Yahweh and is also known as-"

"Daniel, for crying out loud! We don't need his entire family history!"

"Fine," Daniel muttered, throwing a glare at Jack before skipping through a few of his slides, including a family tree and a pantheon. "It is thought that it was under El's protection that Ba'al married Anat, or Antu, Anatu, Anata or Anath-"

"Daniel!"

"No wait," Sam placed a placating hand on Jack's arm when he was about to throw his pen at Daniel. "Daniel, those slides you just skipped… I thought I saw Anat on that one as El's daughter?"

"That's right," he bobbed his head, smiling that at least someone was paying attention. "Anat is thought to be El's daughter, Ba'al's sister and wife."

"Ugh, that's just wrong!"

"Gross."

Hank Landry sighed and looked around the table, but couldn't see who was saying what. "Gentlemen, please, let Dr. Jackson finish."

"Anat is the deity of fertility, sexual love, hunting and war-"

"Sweet."

"Jack!" Daniel scolded. "She had her own group of followers pretty fast and she even exacted revenge on Mot when he supposedly killed Ba'al, by cutting, winnowing, grinding, and burning him like grain. She was known to slay Ba'al's enemies, wade in their blood joyfully and after pouring a peace offering cleaning herself up. At Zoan she was regarded as the daughter of Ra, and together with Ashtart the consort of Seth-"

"Doctor Jackson?"

"Yes, Colonel Mitchell?"

"I thought Seth and Ra were dead? And wasn't Seth supposed to have been hiding on Earth for thousands of years?"

Daniel nodded patiently. "Yes, but as I was about to say; the Egyptians identified Seth as Ba'al. Considering what we know of Ba'al, the deities he portrays, his reputation and the knowledge of the Tok'ra, I think we can disregard that."

"But you just had to say it?" Jack questioned, annoyance tinting his voice. He'd been trying, really trying but he was already bored and Daniel was just sucking the life out of him with this boring presentation.

"Jack, we already know the Goa'uld portray different kinds of religion and we've come across many that pretend to be Egyptian, Canaanite, Babylonian and Greek gods."

"Indeed, Daniel Jackson is correct," Teal'c intoned, raising an eyebrow as he glanced around the table. The Tau'ri were a surprising race but they never failed to show their impatience.

Sam scowled at Jack when he was about to object and placed her arms on the table, leaning on her elbows. "Yes, please continue Daniel."

"Thank you, Sam," he smiled. "Let's see, where was I? Oh right, as Anat _h_  she is also known as a goddess with four different aspects: mother, virgin, warrior and wanton, which is similar to-"

"Ana _t_ , we get that, Dr. Jackson," Hank motioned with his hand for him to move on.

"She was worshipped through Canaan, Syria and Phoenicia and was largely syncretized with Asherah and Astarte. Biblical prophets repeatedly combine those two in Ashtoreth, which can be a bit confusing. Ashtoreth, though, usually refers to Astarte or Ashtar, the supreme female divinity of the Phoenician nations and goddess of love and fruitfulness. This makes her female principle, where Ba'al symbolized maleness. Like I mentioned earlier,  _Jack_ ," he glanced at his friend as he skimmed through a few slides until he found the right one, "Ashtart and Anat were considered consorts or cohorts of Seth who was thought to be Ba'al and-"

"Daniel! So help me…"

"Sorry," he smiled sheepishly. "Ashtart was thus also known as Astarte, the Phoenician goddess of fertility and reproduction and sister and co-consort of Baal, a role she shared with their sister Anath."

"So," Albert Reynolds spoke up, "when you say consort and cohort, you mean…?"

"Partner, lover, wife," Daniel summed up.

"An incestuous love triangle?" Cameron Mitchell remarked from the back of the briefing room, but his voice loud enough to carry all the way up front. "Man, no wonder that guy is crazy."

"Not that this history lesson isn't great, Daniel," Jack spoke up, running out of patience, "but what does this have to do with anything?"

Daniel blinked at him in astonishment for a moment, before leaning over the laptop to go through his presentation. Finally finding the right slide, he pulled it up and straightened, pushing up his glasses once again. "Well, I thought that was obvious," seeing everyone look back dumbfounded – well, with the exception of Teal'c and Sam – Daniel made a vague hand gesture. "Okay, maybe not," using the pointer he circled the information on the slide. "We don't really know a lot about Ba'al, other than what we've heard and that isn't much. So, I was thinking; what about his queen? Every Goa'uld has a mate, right? Maybe if we find her, we can find Ba'al. After all, the clone said that the real Ba'al had abducted Sam to take her as a host for his queen," he cringed when he realized what he was saying. "Sorry Sam, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, Daniel," she gave him a small smile, not knowing what else she could do to reassure him. Without her memories and only knowing what Daniel told her about the Goa'uld, she didn't really feel offended.  _Couldn't_  really feel offended as it felt like it had happened to someone else. "You're right, it's a brilliant plan, but do we even know if there are Goa'uld by either of those names?"

"No," his shoulders sagged. "There was one more thing, though. Or rather, one more person, deity, term-"

"Daniel!"

"The feminine form of Baal is Baalat, or Ba'alat. Although that also means lady, mistress, owner and wife, it has been suggested it was also the epithet of Ashtart but I'm not too sure about that, because I could only found one reference to it and-"

"Doctor Jackson," Hank sighed, his headache taking a turn for the worst since the briefing started. "Please, get to the point."

"Right," he bobbed his head enthusiastically, "as I was saying; Ba'alat was known as the queen of the gods and was associated with books, libraries and writers. Sound familiar?"

"Indeed," Teal'c intoned, "Hathor referred to herself as Queen of the Gods and Mother of all Pharaohs."

"Yes!" Daniel almost jumped from excitement. Not that he liked to be reminded of his encounters with the Goa'uld, but that was beside the point.

"Damn," Jack muttered, scowling at both of his friends, "I thought she was finally gone?"

Frowning for a moment, Daniel finally closed of the laptop, unhooked his flash drive and took his usual – still vacant – seat next to Teal'c. "Yes, I'm pretty sure she's gone. She's gone right, guys?"

"Indeed, we have not heard word of her return in many years and even the Tok'ra Raully was convinced the Goa'uld could not survive her fall in the cryogenic vat and the subsequent explosion."

"Didn't her name turn out to be Mingala?" Jack questioned, cocking his head.

"That is irrelevant at this moment," Teal'c replied, undeterred.

Hank, now intrigued, decided to jump in. "Is it? I mean, she survived the explosion too."

"Yeah, but she wasn't a popsicle," Jack shrugged. "Anyway, Daniel, what are you saying exactly?"

Grabbing the files he'd placed on the table before the start of his presentation, Daniel flipped through the contents and pulled out a picture. "Well, in Phoenician iconography Anat is usually depicted nude with exaggerated sexual organs and a coiffure similar to Hathor," he handed out the photo, "and Ashtoreth – or Ashtarte and Astarte – was the Phoenician counterpart of the Babylonian and Assyrian Ishtar or Istar in Akkadian."

"And…?"

"Jack!" He exclaimed, throwing up his hands. "Don't you remember anything we learned from Hathor?"

"I try," he quipped.

"In mythology she was linked to Aphrodite of Greece, Ishtar of Babylon, Stargae of Syria, and Ceres of Rome, which could mean that they were all Goa'uld Queens," Daniel explained. "Most people assume they are one and the same only worshipped in different parts or times in the world, but-"

"Most people never heard of the Goa'uld?"

"Indeed."

"Yes, Jack."

* * *

"What'cha doing, Carter?" Jack asked casually from the doorway of her lab.

Her head snapped up at hearing his voice and she immediately smiled. "Oh hi! I was just doing a diagnostic on several key elements of the two alkeshes."

He nodded as he strolled inside and leaned down on her workbench. "Hank and I are finally finished with the briefings and most of the teams are on their way, so I was thinking we could grab some cake?"

"Cake?" Sam frowned, glancing between the alien doohickeys, her computer and Jack's hopeful face. "Okay," she relented, "but I haven't had lunch yet so I don't want cake."

"No lunch?" He asked mockingly. "Why doesn't that surprise me? I thought you told Doc Fraiser you were going to go slow down and take good care of yourself. You know, eat enough and tinker less."

"But it's important," she objected as he pulled on her arm to get her to follow him. "Wait! Just let me do this…" She reached forward and let her fingers fly over the keyboard, making sure the computer would have enough to do while she and Jack were playing hooky. "… and this… no, almost done!"

Jack let out an exasperated sigh and grabbed one of her hands. "Enough already, Sam."

Unable to stop him from dragging her with him, Sam meekly followed him. "It  _is_  important, you know. The sooner it's done, the sooner we can get the alkeshes completely operational, which would mean we wouldn't have to depend on Teal'c and the Free Jaffa alone to investigate Ba'al's ships or space stations without a gate."

"I know," he replied as he proceeded down the corridor, knowing she'd follow him automatically. "Your health is important too and you know Napoleon will threaten me with big honking needles if you don't take proper care of yourself."

"Why would Janet threaten  _you_?" Sam inquired as she kept up with his long strides, the elevator already in sight. "I thought she was worried about me not you."

"True," he shrugged, "but she knows you'll listen to me."

She huffed at his smug smile and momentarily considered going back to her lab when they stopped in front of the elevator. Jack, however, must have noticed her lingering because he immediately reached out and grabbed her hand. "Jack?"

"C'mon," he smiled his boyish smile as he cocked his head, "I know there's blue jello and you said it yourself; you haven't had lunch yet. Besides, do you really want to spend time with your doohickeys over spending time with me?"

Sam was tempted to say that was true if only to wipe that smirk off his face, but when she noticed his expression change from confident to affront due to her hesitation she shook her head. "No, you're right. I need to eat something before I get back to work."

Reassured, Jack bounced on his heels as the doors to the elevator opened and he quickly stepped inside, pulling her along with him. "Good. Besides, Daniel already told me you were working like there was no tomorrow. Even Siler and Dr. Lee said you were making tremendous progress, despite not being one hundred percent yet."

"What? Are they saying I don't usually work this hard?"

"Of course not, Sam," he hastily replied, glad they were alone in the car. Reaching out to press the button for the mess hall, Jack glanced at her. She was still a bit pale but looking much better compared with last week and the dark circles under her eyes were finally gone, probably because she finally slept through the night after her first nightmare. Not that he got much sleep last night, but that was fine as long as Sam was okay. It looked like she was finally gaining some weight, which was a good thing because she still had a few missing pounds on her. "They were just surprised to see the progress you've made in such short time without actually having a lot of experience with taking apart alkeshes."

She shrugged as she watched the blinking lights indicating the car's progress. "All the Goa'uld systems are very much alike. They operate on the same basic principle and although the crystals of the chaapa'ai differ, it is still very similar."

"If you say so," Jack responded. "The geeks are happy with your progress, but that doesn't mean you have to push yourself even more. You need to keep up your strength, Sam and food and sleep are very essential for that."

"I know," she mumbled. "Daniel mentioned something about bad habits," Sam smirked at him as the doors opened and they walked out, heading for the mess hall. "I guess working at Area 51 before going missing made me work even more efficiently."

Jack followed her slowly, watching her hips sway with her long strides as he thought about what she was saying. Was it true that her hard work at Area 51 allowed her to process and do whatever she did with those doohickeys at this rate? He knew she had thrived in command of Stargate Research and Development at Area 51, enjoying the chance to work on all the technology they had brought back through the gate over the years without the interruption of off world missions. However, that also meant she hadn't gotten close to a spaceship with the exception of her space reconnaissance with  _Prometheus_. Something was nagging at him and he wondered if perhaps her sudden complete understanding of Goa'uld and gate technology had something to do with abduction? After all, there must be a reason why she'd started using Goa'uld terms they had never heard of before! Well, maybe Teal'c had, but he certainly hadn't mentioned it before and even Daniel hadn't known. That, combined with her memory loss was worrying him…

"Jack?"

His head snapped up at her questioning tone and he realized he'd been standing in the door opening to the mess hall. He quickly padded over to her and joined her in the line, already spotting some vanilla and chocolate cake. "You're going to need a bit more than a cup of coffee and blue jello," he told his wife and promptly placed a sandwich and an apple on her tray.

Sam's eyebrows rose at his actions, but she didn't comment on it. Instead, she rolled her eyes and followed him to get his cake and then they walked over to their usual table. "Hi Daniel," she greeted her friend who was already sitting at the table.

"Oh, hi guys," he smiled up at them and grabbed some of the papers lying around to make a neat stack to make more room on the table's surface. "The last briefing finally over, Jack?"

"Yeah," he replied as he sat down next to Sam. "I'm just hoping no one is going to return ahead of schedule, because I've seen enough of the briefing room for today," Jack complained, picking his slice of cake with his fork.

"You do look a little tired," Daniel commented as he looked up from his papers. "Are you getting enough sleep? You should take better care of yourself, Jack."

"See," Sam smirked, giving Jack a playful prod in his side. "The pot is calling the kettle black," she turned to Daniel. "He was just telling me that I should take better care of myself."

"You should  _all_  take better care of yourselves," Janet said as she joined them, stepping around the table to take the empty seat next to Daniel. "Well, I guess I should be happy you're all eating, at least you're still feeding yourselves."

"Funny Doc," Jack huffed before taking a bite of his cake. "When was the last time  _you_  went home?"

Daniel snickered and tried to cover it by glancing at his papers. "Yes and remember that lying to a superior officer is an offense, Janet."

"I heard you were going to be available backup for the recon teams?" She asked, glaring at him. "I'll be waiting for your pre-mission checkup in the infirmary."

"So," Daniel drawled out, his eyes darting around the table, avoiding the woman next to him. "How did the briefings go, Jack?"

Sam and Janet exchanged glances, both grinning before they started eating and listened to Jack's reply.

"The last team left about an hour ago," he shrugged, making sure to eat all of the crumbs on his plate too. "SG-2 left for P2M-903 and is supposed to be back in twenty-one hours. SG-3 has a scheduled check-in in ten hours from P2X-887 and SG-4 is checking out Erebus, although we're pretty sure Ba'al won't show his face at the former labor camps again. SG-12 is going to P3R-112, one of the locations where the Free Jaffa traced several of the clones. SG-13 is going to that planet where that Tok'ra, Zarin used to be working undercover and SG-6 is visiting that naquadah planet that used to belong to Mot."

"I thought there were seven recon missions?" Sam asked when he was finished.

"Well, yeah, SG-3, Lieutenant Hailey and SG-7 went to P3X-584 together with Teal'c and SG-22 is checking out that planet where you and Felger did that virus thing to the DHD about two years ago."

She frowned, her spoon with blue jello freezing mid-air. "Virus thing?"

"Don't ask," Jack sighed exasperated. "You don't want to know."


	27. Anubis' Laboratory

"Alright people," Albert Reynolds spoke up when everyone had gotten through the gate, "Penhall, Mooney you're with Teal'c."

"We will secure the perimeter," Teal'c intoned, not waiting for the two members of SG-3 as he started moving.

"Yes Sir," both replied and immediately followed the Jaffa.

Glancing over his shoulder, Albert beckoned Major Thompson. "Thompson, can I take your two doctors with me?"

"Yes Sir," Ryan Thompson replied as he turned around. "Kemper, Bird, you're with Colonel Reynolds. Captain Martin and I will secure the gate and stay in radio contact."

Albert nodded and glanced up at the sky. "Looks like another beautiful day on P3X-584, people. Hailey, you're with me, you need to activate the ring transporter so that we can check out our old pal Anubis' lab."

"Yes Sir," Jennifer Hailey replied, already having placed the wrist device around her own wrist. "Colonel Carter said it most likely needed naquadah in the blood to be activated, so she circumvented that by-"

"I don't care, as long as it works, Lieutenant."

"Yes Sir," she said, holding her tongue to prevent a nasty retort.

Matthew Bird glanced at the two officers, once again feeling lucky that he was a civilian and didn't need to obey orders as strict as the military people he worked with. Not that he wouldn't obey an order from Ryan, he was SG-7's CO after all, but at least the man usually let him finish his sentences even if he was explaining something he could care less about. He exchanged a look with fellow scientist – and Lieutenant in the USAF – Andrew Kemper, before stepping up to Colonel Reynolds. "Lead the way, Colonel."

"Major," Albert caught Thompson's eye and held his gaze, "it's only two klicks from here and the reception wasn't hindered by the grassy meadows so we'll check-in in twenty minutes. Let's go people."

"Colonel Reynolds," Jennifer spoke up hesitantly, glancing at the MALP that  _had_  – unlike them – come through the gate the first time they'd dialed. They'd left it behind after gating back from the planet. It seemed they were capable of dialing out without the security system interfering and leaving the MALP behind would give them the proof they'd arrived on the right planet after using Colonel Carter's program.

"Just spit it out, Hailey," he sighed, rolling his eyes. He missed the days the missions were simple recons, kick some Jaffa and maybe Goa'uld butt or provide backup for SG-1. Now, he was stuck with a know it all young enough to be his daughter that was still having trouble with the chain of command. Mooney and Penhall were with Teal'c and Johnson had to stay at the base due to his shoulder injury, so he was stuck with her charming personality. At times like this, he truly envied Jack O'Neill; he'd give about anything right now to have Samantha Carter here instead of Jennifer Hailey. At least she was modest and didn't make you feel stupid – well, not as stupid as Hailey could make you feel – when she was explaining something. Plus, she was a kickass soldier; so far he hadn't seen much of Hailey in action, although her record was filled with awards. And a few reprimands, another thing he doubted Carter had.

"Sir, I would like to check the data the MALP has collected, just in case something has happened in the past few days or maybe a change in the weather pattern."

"Fine," he relented, waving his hand towards the MALP. "You've got five minutes, then we're out of here."

"Yes, Sir."

 _"Colonel Reynolds_ ," Teal'c's voice crackled to life via the radio.

"This is Reynolds," he replied, hitting the speak button.

_"The perimeter has been secured."_

Albert smirked, knowing he could count on the Jaffa to do his job fast and thorough. "Good work, Teal'c. We're about to leave for the lab, Hailey needs to check out the MALP first."

_"Sir, this is Lieutenant Mooney. Teal'c can lead us to the ring platform, do you want us to clear the way for you?"_

"What the heck, why not," Albert shrugged to no one in particular. "We'll rendezvous in twenty minutes at the ring transporter."

_"Indeed."_

"Reynolds out," he released the button and sauntered over to Hailey. "Ready, Lieutenant?"

"Yes Sir," she bobbed her head, "although I don't think we should stay very long… see this, Sir?"

He squinted at the small screen of her UTD, seeing  _something_. "What do those readings mean?"

"I'm not sure, Sir," she gnawed her lip momentarily, shifting on her feet as she glanced up at him. "It looks like some sort of gravitational abnormality. Now, I'm all for studying natural phenomena, Sir, but not right now. We don't have the proper equipment with us and this is not my area of expertise and-"

"Hailey!" Albert exclaimed, already feeling the beginnings of a headache. "What are you saying?"

"I can't say for sure until it's dark, Sir, but I think this planet is near a black hole."

"Oh great, that's just fucking great," he growled, rubbing his forehead tiredly. He'd heard of black holes, almost everyone that had been at the SGC for a couple of years knew about what had happened to Major Boyd and the rest of SG-10 over six years ago. Or maybe it was still happening to them due to the warping of the space/time continuum… He so did not want to end like that, his men deserved better than that. "How much time do we have?"

"I have no idea, Sir," Jennifer shook her head. "But the readings don't indicate huge fluctuations yet, we were able to disconnect the wormhole and from our last visit I can conclude that the planet hadn't been affected yet."

"Right, well, we have to go check out that ring platform one way or another," he mumbled. "Thompson, you and Martin stay here and contact the SGC. Tell them about the readings, send the data from the MALP and find out if the space/time continuum has been affected or not. Keep it brief, just in case and ask what they recommend while we go search for the lab."

"Yes Sir," Ryan nodded.

"Teal'c, Mooney, Penhall, this is Reynolds," he spoke into the radio again.

_"Sir, this is Penhall."_

"What time do you have?"

There was a short silence before his voice sounded through again.  _"Excuse me, Sir?"_

"What's the time on your watch? Hailey says there is some kind of gravitational abnormality going on, probably a black hole. I need to know if the time is already slowing down and you're further away," Albert explained, sighing.

 _"Fifteen minutes have passed since our arrival on the planet, Colonel Reynolds_ ," Teal'c's deep voice intoned.

Checking his own watch, Albert let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Good, that's good, I've got fifteen minutes too. Proceed to the platform, Hailey and I will meet you there while Major Thompson will contact the SGC."

_"Is that a wise course of action?"_

"What do you suggest, Teal'c?"

_"Contacting the Alpha Site would be safer and possibly minimizes the risk for Stargate Command."_

"Good thinking, Reynolds out." He turned towards Thompson. "You heard that, Major?"

"Yes Sir," Ryan nodded, "we'll contact the Alpha Site and if there are no anomalies we will contact the SGC. Check-in in twenty minutes unless we have news before that," he elaborated as the colonel nodded and signaled Hailey to follow him. He signaled his own captain to start dialing the gate.

"Twenty minutes," Albert repeated before making his way down the grassy meadows, Hailey on his heels.

* * *

"So, what's going on?" Daniel asked, trying to catch his breath from his run to the control room. "Sam, Jack? Walter?"

"Hailey found some data on the MALP that might indicate the presence of a nearby black hole," Jack explained, as Sam and Walter were busy typing away at their keyboards. "Reynolds and Teal'c took SG-3 and half of SG-7 with them to activate the ring platform, while Major Thompson and Captain Martin stayed at the gate. They contacted the Alpha Site to inform us what happened and the geeks there took a look at the data and said it was safe to contact us. Now they," he gestured around the control room, where all the standard personnel had been replaced by scientists, "are analyzing the data we got and Thompson will call back in about ten minutes."

"Shouldn't we call them?"

"No Daniel," Sam spoke up, her eyes never leaving her screen as she was processing the latest test results from her simulation using the data the MALP had provided. "If they contact us, we're hoping they can sever the connection if the black hole is starting to affect their space/time continuum."

"But what if they are already experiencing a time dilation?"

She shook her head as she typed a few commandos, to show him the data. "It won't affect them for at least ten more hours."

Daniel grimaced, glancing between Sam and Jack who were now both looking at him. "Isn't that cutting it a bit close?"

"Nope," Jack denied. "They don't have enough data, so it could actually be days if not weeks but they can't be sure unless they place some gravity sensors on the planet's surface."

"But if something happens, why do you think they will be able to disconnect? When Major Boyd and SG-10 were on P3W-451 the gate was drawing its power from the black hole and even a power cut didn't work." He directed the question to Sam, but suddenly realized she wouldn't recall that particular mission with her memory loss. "What I mean is-"

"I know what you mean," she nodded, her attention once again focused on the screen. "They can pull the crystals from the DHD," she glanced up at the two men to see if she was using the right term this time around, "cutting the power and since we don't have a DHD and only a limited supply of power we won't be able to sustain the gate without blowing a fuse."

"Are you sure, Sam?"

"Yes," she replied curtly. "I know this isn't your area of expertise, Daniel, but I know how the DHD and the gate work. Pulling the right crystals will disengage the wormhole immediately due to certain imbedded protocols for situations such as this."

"How will they know which crystal to pull?"

Jack took a deep breath as he stuffed his hands in his pockets, anxious for what the data analysis would say. "Captain Martin is sitting at the base of the DHD, ready to pull the crystals if we establish a connection. Carter told him which ones and he identified them as soon as he opened it up."

"I'm done, Ma'am," Walter mentioned as his analysis was completed.

Sam looked up from her screen and glanced at his, nodding slowly. "Good, that's good. Bill, how is your team doing?"

Bill Lee walked over to Colonel Carter, a satisfied smile on his face. "Almost done, but so far there doesn't seem to be a reason to be alarmed."

"Walter, where is Hank?"

Walter glanced over his shoulder to look at General O'Neill. "In his office, Sir."

"I'll go get him," he muttered and walked up the spiral stairs to the briefing room. It was empty and he quickly strode towards Hank's door – his own former office – and knocked.

"Enter!"

"Hank," he peeked inside, "the geeks are almost done."

He narrowed his eyes at Jack, trying to gauge him. "What's the verdict?"

Jack quirked a smile. "So far it's looking good."

"Excellent, have we heard anything from the off world teams yet?"

"No, we gave the Alpha Site their coordinates and Colonel Pierce would contact them, making sure they wouldn't dial in while we were working on this."

"Great," Hank replied, getting up from his chair. "Let's go check what Colonel Carter and her teams have found."

Jack let him lead the way as they made their way over to the control room. He was surprised to see that only Dr. Lee, Walter and Sam were still there, the rest of the scientists probably already left. "What's going on here, campers?"

"I was told you had something?" Hank inquired, looking at Colonel Carter.

Sam smiled at them, as she stood from her chair. "Yes Sir, from what we can tell P3X-584 is located in a region of space near a black hole and the gravitational anomalies that Lieutenant Hailey found recorded on the MALP indicate that the planet isn't close enough to be affected by the warping of the space/time continuum for at least twelve hours. We," she glanced at Walter and Bill, "are fairly certain that the planet will be perfectly safe for much longer than that if affected at all by the black hole, but we need more data to prove that. If you'll allow us, we can place gravitational sensors on the planet's surface to get more information."

Hank thought about it for a minute and, after exchanging glances with Jack, he nodded pensively. "Very well, Dr. Lee can go through the gate  _after_  SG-7 checks in and there are no more anomalies. He and his team can gather more data while SG-3, -7, Hailey and Teal'c investigate the ring platform."

* * *

_"Colonel Reynolds, Sir?"_

"Yes, Thompson?" Albert spoke into the radio, checking his watch; the man was right on time.

_"I've contacted the SGC and they are sending a science team through, Sir. As far as they could tell, we are at least safe for twelve hours but further testing has to be done to determine how much time exactly an-"_

"That's good," he interrupted him, not interested in the details. "Hailey is adjusting the frequency and then we're heading in. We will maintain radio contact, but are unsure if we can receive a signal down there. Check-in in twenty minutes. Reynolds out."

Jennifer uncrossed her legs and graciously stood up from the grassy grounds. "Done, Sir."

"Well," he waved towards the wrist device, "do your thing, Lieutenant."

Moving the device around in her hands, she looked at it. "Ah, Colonel Carter didn't say  _how_  to use it, Sir."

"You don't know how to activate the rings?" Albert asked, incredulous. "What about you, Teal'c?"

"Indeed, I do," he inclined his hand as he stretched out his arm, palm up, towards Lieutenant Hailey. "As First Prime of Apophis I was entrusted with this technology. In fact, many Jaffa can operate it for their God."

Curious, Matthew Bird also got up from where he'd been leaning against a trunk. "Don't they use those anymore now? I mean, from what I heard it didn't take you long to find one and Dr. Jackson told me this wasn't even a universal version, so to speak."

"Indeed, they are still used on many ships acquired by the Free Jaffa. However, it requires naquadah in the blood stream and as we speak more Free Jaffa choose to be truly free of the slavery imposed on them by the Goa'uld and refuse to carry a symbiote, Doctor Bird."

"Of course," Matthew nodded enthusiastically as Teal'c herded them on the ring platform and bent down to activate the receiver inside the platform. "Without a symbiote in their pouch, a Jaffa will lose the naquadah in their blood eventually and thus they can't use the technology anymore."

"Indeed," Teal'c intoned as he joined the Tau'ri in the middle of the rings and pressed the buttons on the transporter ring device in the right sequence.

"Moment of truth," Albert mumbled, glancing at his colleagues when all of a sudden the rings appeared and the familiar buzz sounded, before they found themselves in a dark entrance hall. "Fan out."

"Clear," Andrew Kemper shouted after checking out the space on his right with the light on his P90 turned on. "Definitely looks like some secret lab," he mumbled as the flashlight cast an almost eerie glow over the present equipment.

"Nothing here," Jennifer Hailey spoke up, "well, lots of stuff, but no aliens."

"Teal'c?"

He turned around after making a swift circle in the rather small space. "There appears to be no hostile life force present in this laboratory, Colonel Reynolds."

"Good," Albert replied as he moved his flashlight around. "Hailey, Kemper, Bird, use your magic fingers and find out what the heck this place is."

Jennifer was already standing near a computer terminal. "Yes Sir," she nodded, illuminating the buttons with the light on her gun.

"Obviously something is missing from here," Andrew mentioned, as he glanced at the floor in the centre of the room. There was an imprint left on the ground, it looked somewhat familiar but he couldn't place it.

"I don't think you need a PhD to see that, Kemper," Penhall jeered as he used his own flashlight to brighten up the room. "Aren't there any lights in this place?"

Matthew uncomfortably cleared his throat to draw everyone's attention. "Ah, don't touch anything. This isn't Goa'uld."

"What do you mean?" Colonel Reynolds asked, frustrated.

Teal'c strode over to Doctor Bird and raised an eyebrow when he looked at the inscription. "Indeed it is not."

"It looks Ancient," Matthew continued, glancing from the Jaffa to Reynolds. "I can't read this, Colonel."

"Oh great," he exclaimed, throwing up his hands in frustration. "Who can?"

"Doctor Jackson," Jennifer, Andrew and Matthew replied simultaneously.

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Albert turned on his heels. "Great, just fucking great," he muttered under his breath. "Okay, we're going back up and we'll check-in with Thompson."

* * *

"Major Thompson," Daniel greeted as he stepped through the gate and set foot upon P3X-584. "Captain Martin."

"Doctor Jackson, good to see you," Ryan smirked, shaking the man's hand. "Who did you bring with you?"

"Ah, Colonel Mitchell and Lieutenant Morrison," he replied, waving towards the two military men. "I don't think you've met? Colonel Mitchell joined the SGC after recovering from an injury sustained during the battle over Antarctica and Lieutenant Morrison was stationed in Atlantis," he smiled and waved his hand to the other pair. "Major Thompson is the CO of SG-7 and Captain Martin is his 2IC. They were on a long term mission on P3B-645 and just came back with those two alkeshes the people from Area 51 were so thrilled about."

"Major, Captain," Cameron nodded shortly in greeting.

"Colonel," they both replied.

"Landry wanted me and Morrison to escort Doctor Jackson here to the laboratory."

"With all due respect, Sir," Ryan started, "you don't know the way. Perhaps we should bring Doctor Jackson and-"

Cam shook his head. "Fine, I'll take the captain with me while Morrison stays here."

"Very well, Sir," Ryan nodded towards his 2IC. "Go ahead, have fun guys."

Daniel smiled and followed Captain Martin and Colonel Mitchell, somewhat excited about the discovery of the lab. The fact that everything was in Ancient seemed to confirm the rumor that it was Anubis' secret lab and he briefly wondered what Ba'al could have stolen from there. After Major Thompson had contacted the SGC on schedule and told them what SG-3 had found, Jack had already given him the go ahead to gear up before General Landry could open his mouth. When he got back to the control room, Jack told him that they'd found Ancient writing in the lab and that the two doctors of SG-7 were convinced that something big was missing but they didn't know what it could be and were afraid to touch anything they couldn't read.

After an uneventful twenty minutes they were greeted by Teal'c, who was obviously expecting them. "Daniel Jackson, Captain Martin, Colonel Mitchell."

"Hi Teal'c," Daniel greeted, automatically stepping on the ring platform.

"Please place yourself into the centre of the rings," Teal'c told the two military Tau'ri as he did the same. "It would be wise to turn on your flashlights," he added and activated the ring transport.

Daniel was immediately blinded by a light in his eyes and held up his hands defensively.

"Doctor Jackson, good to see you again," Albert Reynolds smirked.

"Colonel Reynolds," Daniel almost growled, waiting for him to lower the light.

Matthew placed a hand on Reynold's gun, silently asking him to lower it – and thus the light – as he stepped forward. "Doctor Jackson, please come take a look at this."

"I don't think anyone has been home in a while," Cameron remarked as he too was looking around with his flashlight turned on.

Daniel followed Doctor Bird and was somewhat surprised to see Jennifer Hailey waiting patiently, not even touching anything. "Looks like some kind of science lab," he mumbled.

"This looks familiar," Teal'c intoned, drawing Daniel Jackson's attention. "This imprint indicates something heavy was taken from this place not too long ago."

He nodded, taking it all in as he looked up at the still present machinery. "This writing's in Ancient," he confirmed, pressing several keys to turn on the computer. A soft buzzing indicated that he succeeded and Lieutenant Hailey practically beamed at him with excitement.

"Oh, I was wrong," Cameron exclaimed as he shone his flashlight across the room. "There is someone home."

Albert turned to help him illuminate what looked like a stasis chamber. "What the heck…. No!"

"Wait, wait!" Daniel exclaimed when he saw Colonel Mitchell press several buttons on the small panel on the right of the stasis chamber.

"What? I was looking for the light switch," Cameron defended himself, frowning at Colonel Reynolds and Doctor Jackson.

Daniel walked up to him and pointed his flashlight at his chest while a loud humming started coming from the chamber that held a bare-chested human-looking man. "New guy," he muttered, apologetically to Colonel Reynolds.

Albert huffed, wary of what the sound meant.

Cameron pointed at the computer that Hailey was examining now. "Hey, you touched that!"

"Uh, I know how to read  _that_ ," Daniel replied, pointing at the Ancient writing.

"Oh-oh," Andrew mumbled as he stood next to Colonel Reynolds. "Is that glass supposed to freeze over like that?"

Daniel glared once more at Mitchell, before turning to the chamber, just as the front of the chamber disappeared and the man fell out. He and Colonel Reynolds both jumped forward, trying to catch the man. "Got him," he exclaimed.

"Pulse?" Albert asked.

"No, nothing," he shook his head sadly as the man started convulsing in his arms.

"What the heck?"

Andrew jumped up and felt for any signs of life as he held the man down. "Looks like he's having a seizure," he told the others.

"What, you're an MD now too?" Penhall asked, annoyed.

"No, just common sense," Andrew replied, glaring at him. "But I guess that's too much to ask from a jarhead."

"Gentlemen, please," Albert hushed them. "What do you think, Kemper?"

"Dead Colonel."

Daniel, in the meantime having lowered the alien stepped up and walked over to Hailey. "Did you find anything?"

"No, it's all in Ancient," she replied, not daring to touch anything.

He nodded pensively as he pressed a few more keys and suddenly the screen filled with more text. "Ah, it looks like the man was an experiment from Anubis," he told the others. Browsing through more files, Daniel understood what had happened. "It says here that Khalek – I think that's his name or it's a word I don't know – was supposed to have been brought out of stasis because of… yada yada… Well, let's just say you weren't supposed to touch those keys," he told Mitchell.

"That's it, nothing more?" Albert questioned as he walked up to the computer.

"Oh, lots more," Daniel replied, "but I'm going to need more time."

"We may not have more time, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c's voice boomed in the small space.

Albert glanced at his watch, recognizing that they were supposed to check-in in a few minutes. "Hailey, Kemper, can't you take out the data crystals or something?"

Jennifer looked at Doctor Kemper and shrugged. "I think so, if Doctor Jackson can show us where to find them."

"Yeah, the crystals of the Goa'uld and the Ancient are very similar in function," Andrew added.

"Uh guys?"

"Yes, Jackson?"

Daniel turned his head to see Reynolds glaring at him for once. "I think I know what's missing. A DNA re-sequencer."

"A what?" Cameron finally spoke up.

"The imprint is similar to Nirrti's DNA Manipulation Device," Teal'c explained.

"Of course," Matthew exclaimed, "that's why it looked so familiar!"

Agreeing, Daniel eagerly pointed at one of the lines on the computer screen. "This here says that Khalek was supposed to undergo several more sessions in the device before achieving his life purpose."

"Whatever that is," Albert commented dryly. "Well, pack it up while I go up and contact Major Thompson."

* * *

"I thought I might find you here," Jack said quietly as he walked into Sam's lab.

She glanced up at him, surprised that she hadn't heard his approach. "Why is that?"

"Dunno," he shrugged casually. "You looked a bit upset after the debriefing."

"Just tired I guess," she lied, ducking her head so he couldn't tell.

"I thought you'd be in geek heaven with all the data Hailey and Kemper got from Anubis' computer," he suggested, not buying her excuse.

"I am," Sam replied, her tone of voice unconvincing even to her own ears.

Jack walked around her workbench to stand next to her. He automatically reached out to brush a stray lock behind her ear and grinned when she smiled up at him. "Carter, we both know something is bothering you and it can't be that whole black hole-thing because you were right about that; it didn't affect the planet and won't for a very long time."

"That device Ba'al stole from Anubis' lab," she started, realizing he knew her too well for her to lie to him about this.

"What about it?"

She waved at her computer. "I looked up the mission report from over two years ago, the one to P3X-367 where Nirrti experimented on me," she shuddered involuntarily.

"Hey," Jack said in a soft tone, "c'mere," he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. It had killed him to see what the machine had done to her and yet he had to remain distant at the time, almost having perfected his role as her commanding officer and only allowing her to rest her head on his shoulder for comfort. Yeah, definitely not a happy time.

"It's not just that."

Hearing Sam's muffled voice, Jack looked down at her blond head, stroking her long hair with one hand as the other rubbed slow circles on her back. "Then what?"

"Ba'al stole it," she reluctantly pulled away from his warm body to look at his face. "Jack, he must've stolen it for our baby. That's why he sent his Jaffa to P3X-367 earlier, because he wanted the device and since it was destroyed, he had to go get this one."


	28. Results?

"You'll be fine," Janet concluded her exam. "Just remember what I told you; more sleep, less work and eat more regularly," she gently scolded her friend. "Now, get dressed."

Sam rolled her eyes and hopped off the bed once Janet had pulled the curtain around the bed. The clicking of the petite doctor's heels told her she was heading back to her office. Blindly reaching out, Sam grabbed her BDUs and donned them over her underwear. Her boots were a bit more of a challenge and she eventually sat down on the bed again to tie them properly.

"Sam?"

Hearing Janet's voice from the other side of the infirmary, Sam frowned. "Yeah?"

"Are you almost done?"

"Yes, just tying my boots."

Suddenly the curtain was pulled away again. "Good, because I thought we could get started on that eating pattern of yours," Janet smiled, glancing at the clock. It was almost 1830 hours and she was famished. Knowing Sam, her best friend hadn't eaten yet and they could spend some more time together. It was almost as if these days they were only doctor and patient, which was frustrating for her as she had always tried to keep her doctor and friend sides apart. Of course that wasn't possible when one of her friends was gravely injured, but when she was in the infirmary, she tried to wear her doctor persona. Lately, Janet the friend had hardly surfaced and she wanted to know how Sam was coping with everything. She knew about the nightmares, as her doctor Sam had to inform her and she did like the good little soldier she was, but as her  _friend_  she was pretty much in the dark.

"What now?"

She nodded, crossing her arms. "Yes now young lady," she tried in a stern voice, making them both laugh. "Unless of course, you have other plans? Maybe you and the General were going somewhere?"

Making sure her laces were properly secured, Sam looked up. "No, we hadn't planned anything. As a matter of fact, I think Jack is still in General Landry's office."

"I thought the briefings were over?"

"Yes, but had a conference call with the President and the JCS," Sam replied, once again hopping off the bed. "He said that if he didn't keep them abreast they'd order him back to Washington."

"Washington?" Janet snorted. "Well, I don't think they know Jack O'Neill as well as they think they do if they think they can order him to leave the search for his child behind to go to meetings with politicians."

"You really think so?" Sam asked hesitantly, making her way to the door.

Janet followed her friend, trying to keep with her long strides with her own much shorter legs. "Of course! I even  _know_  so," she rolled her eyes dramatically. "You can't seriously doubt that, Sam?"

"I don't know," she shrugged as they walked into the corridors, heading for the elevators. "It would give him an excuse to-"

"An excuse?" Janet gasped loudly, quickly clasping a hand over her mouth when she realized there were SFs and other personnel around. "Why would he need an excuse?"

Lowering her voice to match her friend's tone, Sam answered. "Well, it would mean he didn't have to babysit me all the time."

"He's not babysitting you," she frowned.

"Keeping an eye on me then, putting up with me… whatever you want to call it."

"Sam," she grabbed her arm as they reached the elevators. "He loves you, he'll always be there for you."

"Maybe he shouldn't," Sam whispered, looking at the floor.

Janet felt like shaking some sense into her, but as her doctor she couldn't really justify that so she settled for a loud, exasperated sigh and scowl. "What are you thinking Sam? Are you crazy? The man is completely nuts about you, he actually moved to DC because of you so that you two could be together since you were transferring as well… well, and because General Hammond was retiring and he didn't want to break in a new superior. Honestly Sam, tell me before I drag you back to the infirmary to do a head scan because there is obviously something wrong up there."

Sam shrugged silently as the doors to the elevator opened and two nurses stepped out. She stepped inside, waiting for Janet and pushed the button for the commissary. They were the only two people in the car and she was pretty sure they didn't record sound in the elevator, or at least it wasn't available to the guys at level sixteen since one needed high enough security clearance to make a request to get access to the audio recording with the work they did here. "I don't know how he can still love me," she admitted softly. "I hardly remember anything, I keep having nightmares and waking him up too, he constantly has to explain things to me, I look like crap and above all that I left his child behind with the man who kidnapped me. God, I didn't even remember our baby, Janet, I'm a horrible person. I don't deserve to be a mother and I certainly don't deserve Jack."

"Oh honey," Janet exclaimed, hugging her friend. "I thought you were over this whole insecurity thing already?"

"I guess not," she mumbled in reply, her voice muffled in Janet's coat.

Letting go of her, Janet stepped back and placed her hands on her hips. "Well, get over it. It's ridiculous, Sam. What happened wasn't your fault, you didn't ask to be abducted by a megalomaniac and you certainly didn't ask to have your memories suppressed!"

"I  _know_  that," she sighed, ducking her head. "But I can't help the way I feel."

"Sure you can… just stop blaming yourself."

Sam let out a mirthless chuckle. "If only it was that easy, Janet."

"Maybe it is," she replied. "You always over think things."

Frowning, Sam looked at her, not believing it was this simple. "Maybe Jack is just putting up with me until we've found our baby."

"Yeah and maybe the President will give us all a raise," Janet replied sarcastically as the doors opened and they stepped out. "Let's go get some food into you, maybe then reason will return to that big brain of yours."

* * *

"Yes Sir," Jack nodded at the President's face on the screen. "SG-2 has returned from P2M-903 but there was no sign of any of Ba'al's Jaffa or his clones. His ships weren't on the planet or in orbit either, but we've left behind a concealed MALP to keep an eye on things."

" _That's a damn shame,"_  Henry Hayes replied, shaking his head. " _What about SG-3 and Teal'c?"_

"We found an alien named Khalek in stasis in Anubis' lab that was apparently an experiment, but Colonel Mitchell pushed the wrong button and when the stasis chamber opened the guy died. Daniel said it wasn't a big loss as he's the one reviewing the data and it looked like the alien was going to be a mean son of a gun. We did learn from Anubis' notes that there was supposed to be a DNA re-sequencer in the lab and there was an imprint on the floor that matched the heavy machine."

_"So, the Jaffa stole it the other day?"_

Jack nodded slowly, glancing at the reports on Landry's desk. "Looks like it, Sir. Carter thought Ba'al might have wanted it for, ah… the baby," he stammered slightly, again looking away from the screen. "Because he'd already tried to find the one that belonged to Nirrti but found that one to be destroyed. It was only after learning that that the Jaffa took the machine from P3X-584."

 _"I'm sorry, Jack,"_  Henry intoned, genuine sorrow sounding in his voice.

He shrugged, not wanting to show his Commander-in-Chief what he was feeling. "SG-3 headed out already, a day ahead of schedule. Reynolds assured me that they didn't need a break and were ready to get out again so I've sent them to P2X-887, a planet in Anubis' old domain. It was rumored it had another secret base and since Hailey couldn't work on the data collected from 584 – it was all in Ancient – she was excited about this opportunity, so she's tagging along with them."

" _Very well. What about the other teams?"_

"SG-6 returned from P4S-237, one of Mot's old planets with a few updates on the locals but none had heard from Ba'al. They would contact us if they would, though as there would be some kind of harvest fest in two weeks which often brought travelers from other planets."

_"How many teams are still out there?"_

"Well, SG-4 returned from Erebus yesterday with no news and SG-13 said there was nothing but a mass grave on P3S-114. Some of the dead Jaffa had been taken by the Free Jaffa for a ritual, the Goa'uld were burned on the spot and the team has contacted the Tok'ra about their operative, Zarin who they'd found inside of the pyramid. The symbiote poison the Trust had sent through had worked very effectively and has completely dissipated from the surface and air."

 _"Damn rogue NID,_  Henry muttered.  _"What about the friendly world visits?"_

"Nothing Sir," he shook his head. "SG-8 and -16 have already left for three more planets each and have a scheduled check-in at 0800 hours."

_"That still leaves a couple of teams."_

"SG-12 isn't due back until 0500 hours and SG-22 checked-in but is still investigating as they did find some of Ba'al's Jaffa."

_"Very well, I'll let you get back to strategizing your next move. Keep me posted, Jack and good luck."_

"Thank you, Sir, Mr. President," Jack gave a sloppy salute and waited for the screen to go black. He quickly turned it off and gathered his papers, before going down to the control room to see if maybe the Asgard – or even the damn Tok'ra – had contacted them since their first transmission.

* * *

"I'm stuffed Janet," Sam complained, rubbing her stomach.

"Good," she nodded smugly, "you can use the extra pounds. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go back to the infirmary for my last rounds."

"Of course, thanks," Sam smiled, hugging her briefly. Taking the stairs, she went back to her lab to resume her work on the computer. Janet had been right; she did feel slightly better after eating some food and, of course, Janet's pep talk had helped somewhat.

After an hour, she sighed and looked around her dimly lit lab. It was so somber and she missed sunlight – even though the sun had already set – and fresh air. The air conditioning simply wasn't the same. She even missed the trees and traffic, clothes other than BDUs or lab coats. It was actually a bit depressing, so much that Sam couldn't remember how long ago it was that they'd come here. Straight from DC, she certainly remembered that night all too well and it wasn't memorable because she'd slept with her husband again… no, it had led them down another path, one much more frightening and depressing. Somehow she knew she'd always wanted children, but she was certain this wasn't the way she'd wanted to find out.

Her and Jack hadn't been intimate after that. Well, not really… despite his own desire he hadn't made a move other than that one night a few days ago when she'd been too upset to go to sleep. Why hadn't he made a pass at her by now?  _Perhaps he's waiting for a sign from me_ , she mused. The first and last time had been her initiative and he'd even protested, thinking she felt  _obligated_  because of their marriage and not because she simply wanted him. Maybe he still thought that was the case? It was obvious he was again leaving it all up to her… maybe he had a point? Was she ready to take that next step with him while her doubts were still dominating her thoughts? Perhaps she really wasn't as ready as she'd thought – at least, not now knowing a bit more of what had happened and not being certain of his feelings towards her. If she was to believe Janet, Jack still loved her and if she were honest with herself Sam had to admit that it was hard to belief he'd put up with the entire situation if he  _didn't_  love her. She just couldn't understand  _why_  he loved her….

"Sam?"

Startled from her thoughts, she looked up to see the object of her musings standing in the doorway. "Yes?"

"Are you busy?"

"No, just taking a break," she made a dismissive wave at her laptop and pushed it aside. "How did the videoconference go?"

Jack shrugged, his hand stuffed in his pockets. "Fine, just had to give a brief overview. I'll send Hayes the mission reports later as most teams haven't even finished them."

"Janet said I checked out all right," Sam told him, smiling slightly. "She insisted that I needed to eat more so she stuffed me full of food in the mess hall."

He chuckled and leaned down at the workbench. "I'm glad, I should probably go eat something too."

"You haven't eaten yet?" She gasped, looking at the clock.

"I'll be fine," Jack replied. "I still have a lot of work to do, so…."

Sam frowned at him, wondering what he could possibly do at this hour. "Like what?"

"Read some of the mission reports that have been written, make up a new roster for the teams and I have to check out the subspace network for updates," he droned out, ticking every task away with his fingers. "Did you see Teal'c?"

Surprised with the change of subject, she shook her head in confusion. "Not since this morning at breakfast, why?"

"He got a message from Bra'tac and had to go back to Dakara, some kind of trouble in Jaffa land."

"I hope it's nothing serious," Sam mumbled, suppressing a yawn.

Jack smirked and leaned forward, pressing a kiss on her forehead. "It's getting late, you should go get some sleep."

"You can tell me to go to sleep but you're the one staying up-"

"Ack!" He held up his finger. "Doc Fraiser called me to let me know about the exam and she said you needed more sleep and less work."

"Traitor," Sam muttered under her breath. Seeing Jack's scowl she relented though. "Fine, I'll go to bed. Good night."

"G'night," Jack whispered, giving her a quick kiss.

* * *

"Jack?"

Hearing Daniel's disbelieving tone, Jack looked up from the report he was reading. "Daniel?"

"Ah," he crossed his arms and walked into the lab. "I didn't expect to find you here."

"Looking for Sam?" He asked.

Daniel nodded as he leaned on the workbench. "I thought she might be here, with this being her old lab and all… where is she and what are you doing here?"

"She went to bed," Jack shrugged and gestured towards the report. "I'm just going over SG-4's mission report from Erebus."

"Oh, okay."

"What did you want with Carter?"

Taking a sip from his coffee, Daniel waved his cup around. "Just wanted to see how she was doing. She mentioned a checkup with Janet today?"

"Yeah, everything was fine," he reassured him. "Her hormone levels were almost back to normal, still slightly elevated and the Doc wants her to gain a few more pounds, but other than that she's doing good."

"Great!" He smiled, genuinely pleased to hear that.

Jack nodded slowly, once more glancing at the report in front of him. It didn't tell him anything important he hadn't heard during the debriefing, so he decided he'd had enough. "Yeah, the Doc seemed pleased with her diet but does want Sam to eat more regularly and sleep a bit more."

"Is she still having nightmares?" Daniel asked, concerned about his friend. He and Sam had been talking since she'd returned, but their relationship was changed now that she didn't have her memories and she didn't confide in him as she used to do.

"Yeah," he sighed, leaning back as he closed the file. "Seem to occur less frequent though, every other night if she's lucky and sometimes she remembers some stuff."

"Like what?"

"Ba'al," Jack replied in a casual tone, feeling anything but. "His appearance and voice, but not his name or what he was saying."

Daniel was about to ask more, but realized just in time that Jack wasn't very willing to talk about it and he could understand that. After all, Jack had gone through quite a lot when Ba'al had imprisoned him a few years ago and this entire situation was a little too close to home – due to Ba'al  _and_  Sam. "Well, that could be a good thing," he said hesitantly. "I mean, it could mean she will remember more soon."

"Maybe," he mumbled, getting up.

"Anything important?" He asked, pointing at the file in Jack's hand. "The mission report, I mean."

Jack shook his head. "Nah, there weren't any people around, just the deserted labor camps and naquadah refinery – albeit completely in ruins – and the blast furnaces from the underground volcanic systems. You can't really blame those Jaffa for not going back after we relocated them to the old Alpha Site. And with them being the only race able to withstand the heat and toxic gases it was very unlikely there would be new inhabitants or that Ba'al would be there – I can't imagine him staying there."

"Neither can I," Daniel nodded in understanding. "I've been looking over the files that were about Khalek, but haven't found anything of importance either. I think that's a dead end, since he was Anubis' creation and Ba'al simply left him behind, if he or his Jaffa even noticed him."

"Was there anything else besides the half naked dead guy on that computer?" Jack inquired, stifling a yawn as he walked around the workbench to close up the lab.

Turning to follow him out to the corridor, Daniel took the last sip of his coffee. "Yes, but I need more time to go through it all. Have you heard anything about the autopsy?"

"Fraiser said she'd do it in the morning," he replied, swiping his card to lock up the lab after killing the lights. "You just focus on that other stuff, maybe there's something about more bases of Anubis that we or the Tok'ra don't know about yet. Ba'al probably _would_  know, since he used to work for him and he might be hiding out there."

"Okay, I'll get right on it," he retorted as they walked to the elevator. "Maybe you should get some sleep, Jack. You look like you could use it."

"Gee, thanks Space Monkey."

Pushing the elevator button, he smiled sheepishly. "Well, you're under a lot of pressure and I can't imagine what you're going through right now," Daniel shrugged helplessly, trying to explain. "Anyway, there is nothing you can do right now, is there? It is the middle of the night, after all and you've already read the available mission reports. We all just have to wait until the rest of the teams and Teal'c come back."

"I guess you have a point there," Jack reluctantly admitted as the doors opened and they stepped in. Pressing the button for level twenty-seven to drop off the mission report at Landry's office, he was surprised to see that Daniel was planning to go back to his lab. "Perhaps you should follow your own advice."

"I'm not tired yet," he replied, holding up his coffee cup. His regular caffeine shots were keeping him wide awake, making it possible for him to work late into the night in the hopes of finding some clue to find Ba'al and the baby.

"Suit yourself," Jack mumbled when the elevator stopped at his floor and he stepped out. "You'll better be there at the 1000 hours debriefing," he warned the young archeologist before making his way to his old office. Now that he was the director of Homeworld Security he didn't have an office at the SGC anymore, and he was reluctant to do all his work from the briefing room so he'd been hiding out in Sam's lab. The door to Hank's office was unlocked and dropping the folder on his desk, Jack walked back and took the stairs two levels up. Once again, he reached for his clearance pass and opened the door to the VIP room he and his wife shared.

He figured she was already asleep as she'd left almost three hours ago and decided to get undressed in the living area as to not disturb her. Wearing only his boxers and carrying his BDUs and socks, Jack made his way to the en suite bathroom and dumped his clothes in the hamper before brushing his teeth. After splashing some water in his face, he flicked the light switch and surrounded in the dark he opened the door and padded over to the bed in the bedroom. Grabbing the covers on his side of the bed, Jack pulled them back slightly and slid under them. His body involuntarily slid over to Sam, spooning behind her. Only then did he notice her breathing wasn't evened out. "Sam?" he whispered, leaning on his elbow to look over her shoulder.

"Yeah?" She replied in the same tone, her voice slightly raspy.

"Why are you still awake?"

She shrugged as well as she could while lying on her side. "Couldn't sleep, I guess."

"It's the middle of the night," Jack argued, "you went to bed three hours ago."

"I know," she sniffled softly.

Concerned, Jack laid his hand on her shoulder and rolled her on her back. "What's wrong?"

* * *

"Tek'ma'te, Bra'tac," Teal'c smiled slightly and offered his hand.

Bra'tac grabbed and shook it. "It is good to see you, my friend. Come, we must join the other council members."

He inclined his head and followed his old teacher as they made their way from the chaapa'ai to the temple where the High Council resided. They easily fell in step and even though they had nothing to fear as Dakara was now home to the Free Jaffa Nation, they still walked in silence as the sun was already starting to set. Not merely out of caution, but habit and they both knew that there was not much more to say until they had reached the temple.

"The message you relayed stated that several council members appeared troubled." Teal'c stated more than inquired with his old friend. Bra'tac was not only his old teacher; he had also ensured Rya'c had become an honorable warrior, as his own presence had been required at Stargate Command. If not for Master Bra'tac, he would have never stood up to the false God Apophis he had been serving ever since Cronus had exiled him and his mother. Despite serving Apophis for several decades as his First Prime and teaching youngsters to become strong, honorable warriors, the master Jaffa had also taught his apprentice the belief that the Goa'uld were false gods.

"Indeed," Bra'tac replied as they reached the carved out steps leading up to the temple. "I felt it urgent to inform you."

"You were correct," he sighed, already weary from the prospect of yet another council meeting in which he would have to convince his fellow Jaffa of his view. "To whom are you referring?"

Stopping atop of the stairs, Bra'tac leaned on his staff weapon as he turned to his former apprentice. "Gerak is the most outspoken and has partnered with Se'tak and Bo'rel. However, Arkad of Co'rak has been elected as a council member as well only six days ago and he and his men are showing support for Gerak and his views."

"Arkad," Teal'c huffed, remembering one of his previous adversaries, the man he thought responsible for the death of his mother. Now, however was not the time for revenge as he and Master Bra'tac had been named Bloodkin of  _all_  Jaffa. They were also members of the High Council of the Free Jaffa Nation and could not afford personal matters to blind their judgment, not in these dire times when building a democratic nation was their main objective. "How is it possible that he has been named council member? I have not been informed of this matter!"

"Neither was I," he admitted. "Maz'rai contacted me five days ago when I was on Chulak to express his concern over this new development; he feared disarray with the addition of Arkad. Arkad, however, had the support of Se'tak, Bo'rel, Gerak and his former aide and our fellow council member Yat'Yir."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow and grimaced as he processed this information. "Why were you and I not informed to cast our vote?"

"Unfortunately," Bra'tac sighed, surreptitiously looking over his shoulder at the entrance of the temple to ensure no one would overhear their conversation, "he had the support of many, as Ba'kal, De'vir and Te'rak are still loyal to him and have many followers who do not live on Dakara, Chulak or any of the other planets allied with the Council. Arkad and his men offer their own conquered planets as a home to many Jaffa. Because of this, he already had enough votes and even with the council divided over his position they could not refuse since we are working towards democracy."

"Indeed," he replied in disdain, not looking forward to the prospect of being civil towards the man; his adversary, a warrior without honor who cared not for the lives of the men serving in his armies. They had met several times during the last several decades, the first time when Arkad had been assigned as one of Master Bra'tac's students. The wise man however, had immediately noticed his newest pupil was not an honest soul. "What matters are troubling the council members?"

Looking at his younger friend, the son he never had, Bra'tac clasped his arm. "The Tau'ri, once again."

"As I had surmised."

"Tek'ma'te Teal'c!"

Turning completely towards the entrance, Teal'c smiled. "Tek'ma'te Maz'rai, Ka'lel," he inclined his head in respectful greeting.

"I am most pleased to see you have returned," Maz'rai continued as he grasped the man's wrist in a greeting. "Master Bra'tac convinced us you could be the voice of reason in our latest situation."

Ka'lel bowed her head towards both newcomers. "I must agree, Teal'c, Master Bra'tac," she smiled before turning and gesturing towards the temple. "Shall we proceed inside?"

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, following the woman's example, falling in step with his old friend. They strode through the empty corridors of the temple towards the chamber where the council members would discuss this latest matter. Ka'lel opened the doors for them and beckoned them inside.

"Ah, welcome Teal'c," Arkad sneered. "We did not have the pleasure to meet yet since the fall of the System Lords."

"Indeed we have not met since," he retorted, his feelings reflecting no pleasure at all. "Tak mal tiak, my brothers," he looked around the room, "and sisters."

"Chel hol."

"Tak mal tiak."

"Tek'ma'te."

Teal'c inclined his head at the greetings from various council members. "I have been informed of Arkad's new status."

"Yes," he smirked, "once again you were too busy with your Tau'ri friends, otherwise you would have known sooner."

Huffing, Bra'tac turned to Arkad. "Teal'c was investigating one of Anubis' old laboratories after tracing Ba'al and several of his Jaffa there, while you were here," he motioned with his hand, "celebrating your new status like a Chal'tii receiving his first staff weapon," he added in disgust.

"Ah yes," Arkad leaned back in his chair, "of course, you were helping out the Tau'ri with their quest."

"A quest which is important to all of us, my brothers and sisters," Ka'lel spoke up. "Ba'al is the last of the System Lords still alive and we continuingly receive sightings of him all over the galaxy."

Gerak stood up, the scraping of the chair loud in the chamber. "We will find Ba'al ourselves; we do not need the Tau'ri or anyone else. We are Jaffa!"

"Indeed, the Tau'ri child is not our concern," Bo'rel added. "The Tau'ri are merely using Ba'al as an excuse, a ploy to get our support. And what of us? Are we expected to waste our time and efforts to help them who only turn to us when they need help? When they need our ships and our warriors because they are weak themselves!"

"You speak nonsense," Bra'tac huffed, graciously sitting down in his own chair.

"The Tau'ri are anything but weak," Rak'nor argued, "and they have helped us many a times."

"Do not be a fool," Arkad exclaimed. "They are once again using us, like the Goa'uld tried to use us!"

"If not for the Tau'ri, you would  _still_  be serving the false Gods," Teal'c intoned, glaring at his adversary.

Nodding, Tolok drew attention to himself as he cleared his throat. "Teal'c is correct; therefore, we should not simply dismiss the Tau'ri's request."

"As we discussed earlier," Maz'rai said, "there is benefit for the Tau'ri as well as the Jaffa in this quest. Namely, the capture of Ba'al."

"You have already discussed this?" Teal'c inquired, glancing around the circle of council members.

Arkad smirked and rose from his chair. "We started the proceedings over two hours ago as you were once again with the Tau'ri, instead of with your people."

"Such disgrace," Bra'tac exclaimed in a subdued tone. "High Council proceedings should not start before every council member is present!"

"As far as I know, Teal'c has pledged allegiance with the Tau'ri and we come second if not third," Arkad argued. "We could not be certain he would show."

"You have no honor," Teal'c said with constraint, scowling at his rival, the killer of his mother. "Master Bra'tac is one of the oldest and wisest Jaffa  _and_  he is a council member who was present at Dakara, yet you started proceedings without him.  _All_  of you did so," he accused at his fellow council members, "that is no way to treat one of our own."

A soft murmur was heard as everyone reacted in their own way to Teal'c's accusation, before a silence descended upon the room. Nervous glances went around, council members seeking allies for their views before the silence was broken.

"Perhaps a short recess is required," Maz'rai said. "We will reconvene after sundown."


	29. Opening Up

"Sam?"

Letting out a deep, yet quivering sigh, she brought her hands up to scrub her face and – she hoped – surreptitiously brush away the tears that threatened to fall as well as rub her nose. "Yeah?"

Jack frowned at her in the dark. "What's wrong?" He asked again, gently grasping her chin to turn her face towards his. "Are you… crying?" Dumbfounded, he stared at her face. In the dimly lit room, he could just make out her features and even though her eyes were closed he recognized their puffiness. Letting go of her chin, his long fingers traced her jaw line before moving up and he felt the traces of tears. "Samantha?"

"I don't know," she repeated her earlier words, rolling on her side to face him. "It's just…."

He startled slightly when she opened her eyes and he saw the intensity and sadness in those blue orbs he loved. "Hey," he whispered, cupping her cheek and gently caressing her skin with his thumb as her voice trailed off. "It's all going to be okay," he tried reassuring her. He'd already noticed she was preoccupied when he found her in her lab earlier that evening, but he had no idea she was this upset. Of course, learning that they still didn't have a clue as to where Ba'al was and that he had taken the DNA re-sequencer was enough to make him frustrated at their lack of progression. Especially if what Sam had said about the device and their child was true… he couldn't think about that, because if he went down that road he might not be able to survive this if they didn't find their baby in time. If the baby was still alive, if Ba'al still had the child… maybe there was something wrong with the baby and that was why Ba'al needed the device? If so, Jack thought he could at least assume the baby was still alive.

"You don't know that," Sam protested softly, examining his facial expressions. He usually hid his feelings pretty well and by the surprised reactions she'd gotten lately she assumed she used to be capable of wearing that same mask of indifference. Now, though, she could see some of her own worries reflected on his face, his eyes looking sad, sympathizing and…  _loving_? She asked herself, wondering if she was really seeing it or just seeing what she wanted to see. What she wanted him to feel for her. But Janet had told her she was convinced he loved her more than anything. Then again, she herself wasn't the same person she'd been before she'd gone missing. Maybe he loved the idea of her as his wife but she wasn't living up to her former self?

"We always get the job done," Jack gave her his lopsided grin, trying to convince her and lighten the mood. "Don't worry about it, we'll find the baby and we'll make sure to take care of Ba'al…."

Gnawing her lip, she looked at the mattress. "Is that what you do? Not worrying about it?"

"Sam," he sighed, waiting for her to look up again. "It may take us some time, but I won't rest until I find our baby and make sure that Ba'al pays for what he's done – and ensure he'll never be able to do it again."

"I believe you," Sam whispered, still glancing up at him through her lashes. "I believe that's what you believe, but I don't know if that is the truth, if that is what's going to happen or just what we want to happen."

"It's all of the above," Jack quipped, grabbing her hand and pressing a soft kiss on it. "I promise, Sam. It's going to be okay."

Giving him a wan smile, she rolled back on her back. "What if it's not?"

"Aw, come on Carter, let me be the cynic around here."

"You sound more like an optimist," she replied softly. "We have to be realistic about this, Jack-"

"I am," he said confidently, "we'll find our baby, no matter what it takes."

Sam wanted to believe that was true, but her mind kept telling her that they might not succeed. Her husband, however, obviously didn't have the same problem, so she decided to just trust him on this. Apparently, they had worked together for eight years so there must be some sort of foundation for his trust in their abilities. "Okay," she breathed, slowly nodding her head.

"Carter," Jack brushed her bangs back, slightly frustrated that she obviously didn't think they could do it. "Was that all?"

"It's just," she sighed again, unable to find the words. "Never mind, just get some sleep."

He chuckled softly, not wanting to disturb the almost-silence in the room. "Spit it out, Carter."

"Why do you revert to my surname when you're frustrated?"

"What, I don't do that," Jack denied, frowning at her.

"Yes you do," she cocked her head to look at him. "You usually call me Sam, sometimes Samantha… usually if you want something from me, like me trusting you or you trying to reassure me… but you also call me Carter at times."

Still puzzled, he tried thinking back over the last few days. "I guess it's habit," he admitted, realizing she was right. By his counts he'd already called her all three since they started talking. "I always called you by your last name when we were working together, although I tried in the beginning when we were off-duty but it was just too," he tried searching for a word.

"Confusing?" Sam offered.

"Tempting," he smirked. "Now, I love calling you Sam, or Samantha and even Carter…."

Now it was her turn to frown. "Why?"

Jack shrugged shyly. "Because no one else calls you that."

"Oh," she blushed, looking away. "Okay."

After a few minutes of silence, in which Jack took the opportunity to simply look at her beautiful, blushing face as she continued to stare at the other wall, he spoke up again. "C'mon Carter, that can't be what's bothering you."

"Just little things, I guess."

Her voice almost inaudible, making Jack strain to hear them, touched something inside of him. She sounded so sad, forlorn and… lost. "Sam?" When she finally looked at him, he gave her an encouraging smile. "Tell me."

"I don't know where to start," she admitted after a few seconds had gone by. He was looking at her with an intensity and worry in his eyes that couldn't be belied. Once again it made her wonder if she really knew him – she thought she did after spending the last few weeks together – and who the real Jack O'Neill was. She'd seen the dark Black Ops soldier, the stern General, the concerned husband, the worried father, the friend…  _the lover_? It confused her, especially at moments like this because he always came across as a private person, someone who kept his feelings hidden away – probably because of his career and losing his son – and yet he always wanted her to talk about what was bothering her. That was another thing; he didn't seem like the talkative person, especially not about feelings and such. Perhaps he could talk more freely in the dark, his feelings overshadowed by the night… then again, she usually did most of the talking, although he could say something profound or just give her a hug when he didn't know what to say or do. She'd like that right about now, a hug from his strong arms.

"Doesn't matter," Jack mumbled, gently brushing her forehead. "Just start somewhere… how about today?" Seeing her glare at him, he held up his hand. "Whoa, I didn't mean to push… look, I'm no good at this talking thing, Sam, I just meant that you seemed preoccupied earlier today, so I'm guessing something happened. Was it Janet?"

"No, not really," she replied. "Well, kind of."

Nodding slowly, he motioned with his hand. "Go on," he whispered, tempted to ask her what the hell that was supposed to mean, but figuring this was safer.

Sam looked into his brown eyes and quickly looked away. She couldn't talk about her doubts to him… not yet, anyway. So she decided to start somewhere else and work her way up – if he was still awake by then. "Do you know it's Thanksgiving in a couple of days?"

Jack frowned, puzzled as to what that had to do with anything. "Yeah," he drawled out, "it's Thursday."

"Mark left a message for me on the voicemail of my work phone," she continued.

"And…?" He prompted her, still not seeing what one had to do with the other.

Closing her eyes, Sam scrunched up her nose. "He invited me –  _us_  – over for Thanksgiving… well, and he wanted to know how I was doing as apparently you still hadn't called him since he came to visit."

"Oops," he blushed slightly, completely having forgotten about her brother with everything going on. Besides, it wasn't that he  _liked_  chatting with the guy, even if he was a Carter. "So… do you want to go?" Jack was glad she had her eyes closed because he was pretty sure he winced at the idea of having to spend time –  _Thanksgiving_  – with Mark Carter and his family, being… well, thankful. He wasn't thankful for anything except that Sam had gotten back to him safely and that his friends and family were still alive, but the search for Ba'al and – more importantly – their child overshadowed everything.

"No!" Her eyes flew open in shock. "God no," she shook her head. "I don't think I could think of anything to be thankful for," she groaned, "well, I mean I'm glad to be back and everyone has been great and-"

"Carter!" He interrupted her rambling. "I know, okay? I understand, just tell him we can't make it."

Nodding slowly, Sam's next words contradicted that. "He was really concerned about me, said he misses me… that he feels bad that he can't visit more often. That it's okay I can't remember him yet, that he wants us to get to know each other again," she sighed. "We already lost our Mom when we were teenagers and he's still coping with losing Dad… and apparently still trying to adjust to the fact that I'm very much safe and sound. I feel bad for disappointing him – again."

"I understand," Jack replied, "but you have to think of yourself first, Sam. Physically you're doing much better, but emotionally you're still confused – hell, we all are – and right now we're dealing with a loss that we can't explain to him."

"I know, but I feel like I'm letting him down. I know how upset he was when I couldn't remember much about him when he came to visit. He obviously wants to work on that and I want that too, just…-"

"Not now," he finished for her. After she nodded an affirmative, he scrutinized her face. "What did Doc Fraiser say about this?"

"What, Mark?" Sam shrugged as well as she could while lying in bed. "I only got the message after going back here."

"Oh, okay." Jack rolled back on his back to stare at the ceiling. "So, what else is troubling that big honking brain of yours?"

Daring a glance towards him, Sam felt herself blush again. "This," she waved around with both hands, "the gray walls, air conditioning, artificial lighting, lack of windows… lack of normal people."

"I resent that," he said, mockingly placing a hand on his chest. "Just because we fight aliens on a day-to-day base and save the planet at least once a year, does not mean we're not normal."

She giggled at that, having expected this sort of retort from him. "Well, normal dressed people, then. The calendar says it's November, but it could very well be June if you look around here."

"You want to go out? We can do that," Jack nodded, more to himself than her. "I'll take you out of the mountain, tomorrow – unless there is some kind of emergency."

"Yessir!"

* * *

"Let us return to the temple," Bra'tac stated, peering at the sky as the sun had finally disappeared beneath the horizon. "Teal'c, Maz'rai, Nisal?"

"Very well," Teal'c intoned, inclining his head as he cast a glance over his shoulder once more. "I would have preferred to speak to Ka'lel before the proceedings would begin again."

Maz'rai clasped his shoulder. "Do not worry, my friend. Ka'lel is a wise woman and she has yet to disappoint us by voting against us."

"He is correct," Nisal nodded, having already spoken to Ka'lel earlier today. "She and the Hak'tyl are once again on our side and that of the Tau'ri."

"Yet she disappeared shortly after the recess," Teal'c replied, uncertain.

Bra'tac looked at his former pupil and, recognizing his expression, spoke up. "Despite being a young female Jaffa, Ka'lel has often shown having the wisdom of a Jaffa many times her age. We must not forget that she and the Hak'tyl have been fending for themselves in secrecy before joining our cause. In fact, the years she has spent on Hak'tyl after escaping Moloc have most likely prepared her for the position of council member."

"Indeed, that is correct," he admitted, glancing at the master Jaffa. "However, that does not mean she will choose our side."

"You have not visited Hak'tyl for quite some time, Rya'c has told me."

Teal'c felt caught unawares by Bra'tac's change of subject and knew the old man was referring to Ishta in particular. "Indeed."

"Yet your personal affairs with the Hak'tyl leader have not once influenced Ka'lel's decisions on the High Council."

"Master Bra'tac is correct," Maz'rai felt it urgent to say. "Ka'lel is an honorable Jaffa and would not betray our – or the Hak'tyl's – alliance with the Tau'ri without a just cause."

Knowing this to be the truth, Teal'c once again inclined his head respectfully and strode over to the temple. "Very well, I will trust her judgment as I have done many times in the past."

Pleased, Bra'tac followed him, albeit in a slower pace. He could not imagine that Arkad and Gerak would be able to convince the remaining council members of their point of view, but with time he had learned not to be passive. Indeed, that was why he had contacted Teal'c after Maz'rai had informed him of the election of Arkad and the new dispute in the Jaffa Nation High Council. "We can only hope Ka'lel will return in time," he stated as he entered the temple but did not see their Jaffa sister. As she was the only female on the High Council, it would be hard to overlook her.

"Teal'c and Master Bra'tac were correct," Maz'rai said after seeing that most council members were gathering in the temple's corridors, ready to start the proceedings once again. "This time we will not resume until all the council members are present."

Nisal nodded slowly, his eyes scanning the corridors and he realized that not yet everyone was present. Those who were seemed to either be talking to each other – like the four of them – or with some of their underlings. Many of the council members represented Free Jaffa from other planets and their aides and spokespersons sometimes traveled with them to the council meeting. "I agree."

"Rak'nor," Bra'tac greeted the young Jaffa as he entered the corridors and beckoned him over.

"Master Bra'tac, Teal'c, Maz'rai, Nisa," Rak'nor nodded politely with a smile on his face.

"Have you seen Ka'lel?"

He glanced around and not finding her, he frowned. "I overheard her being told that there was a message for her from Hak'tyl by Tolok. She immediately headed out and I assumed she would go to the chaapa'ai, but I had expected her to return by now."

"Indeed, as did we all."

"Shall we begin the proceedings?" Arkad bellowed through the corridors from his place near the doors of the proceedings chamber. He had taken the liberty to open them already so he could herd everyone inside and convince them to stop supporting the Tau'ri.

Raising an eyebrow, Teal'c took a step forwards when several of his fellow council members walked towards the doors. "Should we not wait until the council is complete and every member is present?"

"Maz'rai said after sundown," he replied, looking from his adversary to the old man next to him. "I know that you, Teal'c, use Tau'ri technology to tell time," Arkad huffed, "but the rest of us are still capable to tell when the sun went down."

"I did not claim otherwise," Teal'c replied stoically and walked towards the doors himself, his companions following him. "However," he spoke up at the entrance, "I have been informed that Ka'lel has received a message from the Hak'tyl."

Unconvinced, Arked shrugged as he walked inside the chamber, passing Teal'c. "And? If she is not here, we will proceed without her. You see, this is what happens when we allow females in positions other than defending their home planet or serving as priestess."

"As you obviously know better," Bra'tac sneered and motioned towards Arkad's two companions, "you are aware that no outsiders are allowed during the proceedings."

Muttering under his breath, Arkad glared at the old Jaffa. "Leave us," he made a dismissive gesture with his hand towards Ba'kal and De'vir. "We will begin the proceedings now."

"We will not," Cha'ra argued, standing up from his seat. "You would be wise not to insult our sister as she has been battling the Goa'uld before you even heard of the Rebel Jaffa."

"Indeed," Teal'c added, "she and her sisters have supported the Rebel Jaffa and the Tau'ri with risk of their own lives many times to achieve our cause… unlike you, Arkad."

Gerak, impatient, stood and slammed his fist on the table. "Enough!"

Bowing graciously, Tolok stepped forward. "I was the one who informed Ka'lel of the message and she ensured me she would return after contacting Hak'tyl."

"Might I suggest we will all be seated and await our sister's return?" Tass'an spoke quietly yet confidently.

"Indeed."

"Yat-Yir, open the doors again before Ka'lel returns," Gerak ordered loudly.

Sighing, Yat-Yir stood up and walked towards the doors to pull them open once again. As he did, he came face-to-face with Ka'lel. "Ah, we have been awaiting your return."

"My apologies," Ka'lel said, ignoring the scrutinized look the man gave her and briskly walking past him to her seat at the table. "I had been contacted by Hak'tyl and returned as soon as possible."

"Something you would like to share with us, sister?" Arkad smirked, leaning back in his chair.

"Not at this time," she replied haughtily. "Now that I have returned, shall we resume the proceedings?"

"Indeed," Teal'c inclined his head and, glancing around the chamber, noticed that his fellow council members did so as well.

* * *

Feeling Sam stir again next to him, Jack opened his eyes. His internal clock told him he hadn't slept more than thirty minutes, but he knew it usually took her less time than that to fall asleep. "Okay," he drawled out, his voice stopping her movements, "what else is bothering you, Carter?"

She startled at his hoarse – sleepy – tone and it made her heart do a flip-flop. "Nothing," she lied unconvincingly.

"Riiight," he rolled back to face her again and held her chin with his hand. "Try again, Sam."

"I'm not sleepy?" Seeing him shake his head, she sighed. "Jack…."

"Yeah?"

Thinking it was now or never, Sam gnawed her lip and decided it was now. "I still don't remember much and… I'm not sure I ever will."

"What are you talking about?" He scowled at her, frustrated that she would think that. "You're still remembering a lot every day. Even some stuff from your nightmares," he added uncomfortably.

"It's not a lot," she argued, "not compared to thirty-six years."

Jack let out a deep sigh, rubbing the back of his neck before looking her in the eye again. "You've already remembered a lot of your childhood-"

"But that's not the part I'm interested in," Sam exclaimed, almost throwing her hands up in frustration. "God, that sounds horrible," she realized, shaking her head. "I don't mean that, of course I want to remember that… it's just that the last couple of years are more important right now."

Understanding her frustration – even sharing most of it – he tried to calm himself. "I know and I want you to remember that too, but maybe you're just trying too hard?"

She let out a humorless chuckle. "Jack, it's not supposed to cost you any effort to remember things from your past."

"Of course not, but your brain has been tampered with," he was sure that it was Ba'al's doing somehow, for some reason. "You're just so intent on  _wanting_  to remember something so badly, that maybe it's having contrary effects."

"You're starting to sound like that old doctor," she complained, scowling at him. "I mean, I can understand why I don't remember the months I was missing because of it being a traumatic event or PTSD… but why not you, Daniel, Teal'c, Janet? Why not anything from my adult life, or at least since I started working on the stargate. I remember the physics and everything about it, but nothing from my life. I  _know_  I have learned those things some time in my life, but I  _can't_  recall ever sitting in a library to study it, cramming for finals or even working through my doctorate. I have this clear image in my mind when I think of the gate or the DHD," the terms were coming much easier for her now, "and yet I don't know  _how_  or  _when_ I learned these things. I know there is life out there," she gestured towards the ceiling, "and what the gate does, but I don't remember ever going  _out there."_

Jack had flinched when she oh so casually mentioned her time with Ba'al being traumatic, but knew she hadn't noticed as she'd just stared at a point in the wall behind him. He didn't want to think about what Ba'al could have done to her during those  _months_ she had been missing. He'd only been there a few days and he'd been ready to die – permanently. Because of what they knew of Ba'al and the Goa'uld in general, he refused to accept that Ba'al had somehow altered Sam's body to impregnate her – he didn't even want to  _think_  about that. He had to agree with everyone else that she'd been pregnant at the time of her abduction as it all worked out – calendar-wise.

Plus, it would've made no sense for Ba'al to abduct her to take her as host for his queen – as the clone had told him – if he was only going to impregnate her for his own sick plans. From Jolinar they already knew she was a good host so the snake wouldn't have rejected her  _unless_  she was already pregnant. Of course, that also meant that  _their_  own child was out there somewhere with Ba'al, most likely. Or one of his goons and he wasn't sure which would be better at this time. Then again, the thought of his child in Ba'al's 'care' alone was enough to fuel his rage and ensure that he'd find the bastard and finally get his revenge – for what he'd done to him after Kanan, to Sam for almost eight months  _and_  their baby.

However, if it wouldn't have been his child he wasn't sure if he could deal with all of this. Sam was right; she didn't remember him, not as her husband, lover, best friend, not even her former CO for crying out loud! She'd been aloof at first, when they'd gotten her back and if she hadn't relied on him to help her out, take care of her… if she hadn't accepted him as her husband, he wasn't sure what he'd do. He still would've found the goddamned snake to make him pay for destroying what himself and Sam finally managed to have and for what the bastard had done to her, how he had used her… but if Sam had rejected him, he honestly didn't know what would've happened. He didn't think he could manage the depression he'd gone through after losing Charlie without something like Sam to help him overcome that, even if matter-of-fact she'd still helped him open his heart again, to learn how to love.

"I know, Sam," he whispered softly, realizing she was looking at him concerned. "It will come back-"

"What if it doesn't?" She dared to ask, her cheeks burning as she cautiously looked at him.

Cupping her cheek, he held her gaze. "If it doesn't, then that's alright. I'll still be here for you, Samantha, always. I love you and we can make this work… we'll work on getting you new memories."

Sam caught her lower lip between her teeth as she felt it begin to tremble with his words. She blinked rapidly to try and force back the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her and awkwardly cleared her throat. "What if," she faltered again, seeing the question in his eyes. "Wha-what if I don't live up to… her?"

Closing his eyes briefly, Jack took a deep breath. "Sam, you  _are_  her. You're every part of her; Carter the kickass soldier, scientist, Sam the woman, friend and Samantha the lover and wife. I  _love_  you, every part of you,  _all_  of you." He tried to calm his own emotions as he saw the effects his words had on her. "To be honest, I wouldn't know what I'd do without you, Sam. If you hadn't made it back…."

"I did make it back," she whispered. "But… I may have paid for that with the life of our baby," Sam admitted, closing her eyes as she felt the tears escape, trickling down her cheeks.

Jack leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss on her trembling lips before resting his forehead against hers and closing his eyes too. "We don't know that," he replied in the same tone. "If you hadn't made it back, we would have never known –  _I_  would've never known." He hated to admit, even to himself that maybe losing her would have been worse than losing their baby. The image of Charlie flashed before him and in that moment he truly hated himself,  _her_  even, for making him love her so much that he was willing to sacrifice their baby's life for her. It wasn't fair to think like that and Jack knew it, but at least now he still had Sam… he'd do anything in his power to get their baby back, but if it was too late… at least he'd still have her. And he hated himself for it. "I love you, Sam," he whispered again, feeling his own tears escape and knowing they mixed with hers as their wet cheeks brushed against each other. "Don't ever doubt that."

"I won't," she almost sobbed, the emotions going through almost too much, almost choking her. She believed him, hearing the love shining through his words, the emotions apparently also wreaking havoc inside of him as she felt his tears drop on her face.


	30. Allies

"They cannot expect us to be on their beck and call without giving anything in return," Arkad exclaimed angrily.

"We must spare our forces and energy for our brothers and sisters," Gerak added passionately.

Rak'nor stood and waited until the other two men looked at him. "We must not forget that we are able to discuss this matter  _thanks_  to the Tau'ri!"

"I agree," Cha'ra spoke up. "If not for the Tau'ri, we would not be building a democratic nation."

"We would not have been able to end feuds decades in the making and unite with our brothers and sisters, placing allegiances to false gods in the past," Bra'tac insisted from his seat.

Bo'rel cleared his throat. "Let us not praise them too much; I have lost many men to the Tau'ri in the past," he glared briefly at Teal'c. "We must not forget our own efforts and the lives that have been given to free our own people!"

"He is correct," Arkad confirmed, seeing Se'tak nod as well from the corner of his eye.

"Our own efforts?" Maz'rai echoed in an even tone, a hint of disbelief in his voice. "What  _exactly_  were your efforts, Arkad in the liberation of our people? Or what was your contribution?" He turned to Bo'rel. "I remember you were still pledging allegiance to Cronus when the Rebel Jaffa were trying to find followers! And it has not been long since you, Se'tak, came to Dakara to join our nation after Ba'al had no more purpose for you! If I am not mistaken, you continued your allegiance to him even after the fall of the System Lords," he accused softly. "Only when he wanted to replace his Jaffa with Anubis' Kull Warriors did you want to be free."

"Teal'c was the first Jaffa to seek freedom since the Battle of Tazek'Sur, the first who openly turned on his God and fought him many a time successfully," Nisal added. "Instead of being known as Teal'c of Chulak, First Prime of Apophis, he became the Shol'va Teal'c of Chulak, who dared to betray his God!"

"Indeed," Bra'tac boasted proudly, "he was willing to leave behind his family, his planet, his people in order to find freedom for all Jaffa!"

"That is beside the point," Arkad complained, rolling his eyes dramatically. "We are all aware of that, however; this is not about Teal'c and what he did, but about his friends the Tau'ri. Who, as always, want our support and give nothing in return!"

"Indeed you are mistaken," Teal'c intoned as he rose graciously from his chair, his sand-colored robes rustling with the movement. "Had I not met the Tau'ri, I would have never tasted freedom. After pledging my allegiance to their world, the first world, I met many races throughout several galaxies and learned the Goa'uld were not the only superior race. In fact, it was with SG-1 that I was able to form allegiances with many more races as well as our own brothers," he nodded towards Bra'tac, Rak'nor, Cha'ra, Nisal and Maz'rai, "and sisters," he inclined his head respectfully towards Ka'lel.

"The Tau'ri have helped many of us," she spoke up. "They were gracious enough to support many small rebellions and eventually allied themselves with the Hak'tyl," Ka'lel elaborated, glancing around the table. "Ishta proposed an alliance; offering our services as warriors as well as our knowledge and information from our network for Tau'ri weaponry, food and supplied," she gave a small smile. "Instead, the Tau'ri offered us true independence from the Goa'uld by offering tretonin."

"On their terms," Arkad huffed, disgusted with the idea of relying on the Tau'ri for this drug. A Jaffa's true strength came from his will to live as well as the symbiote he carried. Those without a symbiote were weak. "Is this why you are so willing to support their cause,  _sister_?" He sneered at her. "Afraid your females will no longer get their drugs?"

"Once again you are misinformed," Bra'tac argued. "We have a free supply of tretonin at our disposal and the Tok'ra and Tau'ri have taught many of our own how to procure more."

Ka'lel nodded slowly. "Master Bra'tac is correct; there are already several thousand Jaffa taking the drug and the Tau'ri have made no secret of the drug. In fact, they offered it to us freely. We do not need to keep them appeased," she berated the men on the opposite side of the chamber. Arkad, Gerak, Yat'Yir, Bo'rel and Se'tak always chose to be seated together and were usually of the same opinion when it came to important matters.

"Tretonin or not," Tass'an rose loudly, raising a brow as he glanced around the chamber, "the Tau'ri have requested our support or knowledge in their quest. May I suggest we concentrate on that? Most of us," he glared at Se'tak, still unsure of the man's true loyalty, "are more than willing to hunt down Ba'al. As a matter of fact, we have already been doing exactly that since the fall of the System Lords. Why not bundle our forces with the Tau'ri?"

"Ba'al was responsible for the kidnap of Colonel Carter," Bra'tac informed his fellow council members although most were already aware of the fact. "He has stolen her memories and the child of her and O'Neill, do you not understand what danger he poses now?"

"Indeed, Colonel Carter is most knowledgeable," Teal'c affirmed as he raised a brow, the corners of his mouth drooping in disdain as he remembered the mental condition of his friend. "Ba'al already has access to some of Anubis' databases who had knowledge of the Ancients. Now, he possibly has the knowledge of Colonel Carter, a trusted ally of the Asgard and many more races."

Speaking up for the first time, Latal rose slowly. "Me and my people have not yet had the honor to meet the Tau'ri but their reputation precedes them; everyone on Kallana is in full support of their quest, for Ba'al and the child. We cannot allow him to become more powerful."

"Indeed. I must also inform you that the concealed laboratory of Anubis I have visited with the Tau'ri was missing a dangerous device; Ba'al's Jaffa had stolen a DNA re-sequencer, which Nirrti once used on a population to create a Hok'tar."

Ka'lel turned towards him pensively. "Are you suggesting that Ba'al might use this device to increase the powers of the infant?"

"Indeed, I am."

"We do not know that," Arkad objected again. "This is mere speculation!"

"We must not forget that Colonel Carter was once host to a Tok'ra, retained the ability to use Goa'uld devices, has valuable knowledge of the Tok'ra, the Asgard and the Tau'ri as well as many more races and their technology. The Asgard praise O'Neill highly in regards to his character as well as his ability to control Ancient technology," Bra'tac reminded all of them. "If Ba'al can use this device to further the development of the child it may very well become his new host."

"A Hok'tar indeed," U'kin gasped. "We cannot let this happen."

"I propose we cast our votes," Gerak spoke up as he raised from his chair. "All those against supporting the Tau'ri raise their hand." He coughed before glancing around. Bo'rel, Se'tak, Arkad and Yat'Yir all raised their hands immediately as did he himself. Seeing some of his brothers deep in thought he turned his attention on them. "U'kin, Maz'rai and Tolok?" They shook their heads determinedly. "Very well. Tass'an of Sartorus?"

"I must agree with Master Bra'tac and Teal'c," he replied.

"I think we," Ka'lel glanced at Rak'nor, Nisal and Cha'ra, "are in favor as well."

Seeing the three men nod their heads in the affirmative, Gerak looked at the last man. "Latal of Kallana?"

"I am sorry my brother," Latal replied, "but my people were already convinced before I came to Dakara. After hearing Master Bra'tac and Teal'c, I feel even more inclined to support the Tau'ri."

Teal'c smiled slightly. "It would appear eleven of us are in favor and only five are against the Council's proposal to support the Tau'ri in the quest for Ba'al and the child."

"Let it be noted that the council has spoken in favor," Bra'tac confirmed, grinning. "I would suggest we tell our brothers and sisters and ask for their participation in this quest."

Ka'lel stepped away from her chair and inclined her head. "Indeed, but we must stress that it is on a voluntary basis and no one is required to risk their lives, although anyone – male or  _female_  – will be welcomed."

"Very well," Gerak admitted defeat and jerked his head towards the door when he caught Yat'Yir's glance. "Let us take leave now."

"Indeed," Teal'c intoned, ready to return to the Tau'ri to inform them of their support once again.

Taking long strides, Ka'lel caught up with Teal'c and Master Bra'tac in the corridors. "Could we speak in private?"

"Of course, sister," Bra'tac reassured her as he steered the two younger Jaffa outside.

Teal'c walked towards a secluded area near the temple's entrance and waited for the two to join him. "Is this matter related to the message from Hak'tyl?"

"Indeed," Ka'lel confirmed in a soft tone, glancing over her shoulder to ensure no one was spying on them. "I did not think it wise to inform all the council members and Ishta agreed that I should allow you to inform the Tau'ri and those you trust."

"Of what do you speak?"

Turning to Master Bra'tac, she inclined her head respectfully. "Of course," she said quickly. "I shall explain; Neith contacted me through the chaapa'ai to inform me of Kar'yn and Rya'c's return."

"This involves my son?" Teal'c inquired, concerned. "I was led to believe he and his wife were on Hak'tyl, training the younger females in the art of lok'nel."

"Indeed he is," she reassured him. "However, they both frequent other planets for trade with some of Chara's men. This past week they traveled to Gehenna-"

"One of Moloc's former planets," Bra'tac stated, having heard the name often. It was known as the place of torment, where Moloc had sacrificed many young children of his Jaffa for centuries.

Ka'lel nodded before continuing. "In the Valley of Hinnom they spoke with some of his former Jaffa and a small group of former-commanders recalled searching for one of Ba'al's planet about one hundred cycles ago. Moloc had sent them on a quest to find Ba'al's queen, who he had hidden away."

"Indeed, it is unknown who his mate is and where she is residing," Teal'c mentioned, recalling the briefing Daniel Jackson had given them earlier.

Leaning forward and lowering her voice even more, Ka'lel elaborated. "The Jaffa were uncertain if Moloc knew the location and whether it was a true Queen or merely a mate."

"If it is his true Queen we can lure him out," Bra'tac surmised. "Perhaps entrap him for the safe return of the child."

Teal'c was in agreement, but still raised his brow. "Moloc did not know the location?"

"He claimed he did to his men, but he had them visit many planets, several of which were almost uninhabitable."

Of course, posing as a god Moloc would claim he knew everything and would not admit defeat in such an important quest, Teal'c mused. "Did Rya'c mention any of the planets?"

"Indeed," she smiled and handed him a Goa'uld tablet. "This supposedly contains a list of planets but we do not have a crystal to activate it. We assumed the Tau'ri would be able to activate it, either with a crystal or… with one of their peculiar solutions."

"I am certain they can," he confirmed, inclining his head. "I am most pleased with Rya'c's actions, as well as your own, Ka'lel."

"We are all sympathetic to the Tau'ri's cause; not only do we want to capture Ba'al, but the Hak'tyl are aware of the personal loss of the child as well. We wish to help our brothers and sisters as well as our trusted allies," she concluded, bowing her head before pulling her cap on. "Chel nok, my brothers."

"Tal'ma'te," they replied in unison, watching their sister leave.

"We must inform the Tau'ri," Bra'tac spoke as they started towards the chaapa'ai.

"Indeed, this may be fruitful." He stopped when he reached the DHD. "Perhaps it would be wise to confer with Rak'nor, Adal, Aron and Shaq'rel before returning to the Tau'ri."

Bra'tac tilted his head to look at his former-student. "Indeed, we must inform our brothers to gather warriors for our quest for the last of the System Lords."

Teal'c inclined his head, knowing his old friend was correct. It would not be wise to return to the Tau'ri before ensuring the needed support from his fellow Jaffa. Luckily, all eleven members of the council represented many Jaffa warriors – be that male or female -

* * *

"Wow, what a beautiful view," Sam almost gasped as she looked out over the landscape.

Jack smiled, watching her close her eyes and take a deep breath; no doubt to enjoy the fresh mountain air instead of the recycled air from the SGC. "It sure is," he replied softly, not taking his eyes from his wife's face. The minute he'd woken from his restless sleep he'd gotten up silently as to not disturb Sam and headed to the commissary for breakfast before going over to Landry's office. Since Hank hadn't arrived at the SGC yet – no surprise as it had only been a little after 0600 hours – he'd left a message with Walter, who of course was already there… or maybe still there. Jack didn't know and at the moment he didn't care, as long as his message that he and Sam would be going out today would reach Hank.

Now, here they were, standing on top of one of the mountains after following a hiker's trail. Sam had been able to easily keep up with him and he was happy that she was apparently back in good physical shape, although she'd probably be very tired tonight. "So, you're not disappointed that I dragged you out of the mountain?"

"No," she smiled shaking her head. "I was just worried that we might miss some important news…"

"I already spoke to Reynolds before we left and he told me that SG-12 had returned from P3R-112 and that the world seemed isolated. They left a concealed MALP behind, though. And Hank will contact us as soon as something comes up, don't worry."

"I won't," she replied, her eyes turning back to the view. "It's like a postcard!"

Jack grinned at her response and walked up to her, careful not to slip with the trail slippery from the heavy snowfall, circling his arms around her waist to pull her back against him. "There's a reason they call it "Garden of the Gods"," he told her, nuzzling her soft hair. He tried nuzzling lower, reached that sensitive spot just below her ear that made her shiver in his arms and then he was hindered by her scarf.

"Jaaaack," Sam tried to squirm out of his hold. "Your nose is cold; I'm cold, don't pull my scarf down!"

Groaning, he relented and straightened, still not releasing his hold on her. Besides, this wasn't really the right time nor place to cuddle up to her. "Fine," he sighed, pressing a kiss on her crown.

"This," she waved at the view in front of them, "doesn't look familiar, doesn't trigger something… did we come here often?"

He coughed as he leaned back, relaxed his arms around her which apparently made her decide to turn around to face him. "No, not really."

"I had no idea something this beautiful was relatively close to the mountain," she continued, looking up into his eyes. The past few weeks she'd discovered that she remembered little things, like the directions to the supermarket or where to go inside of the SGC without seeing a map. This didn't look familiar at all and she hadn't recognized the road up here either.

"Well," he chuckled, leaning his chin on top of her head, "you weren't exactly known for little outings on your downtime."

"What are you saying?" Sam asked, pulling back to look at his face. He was smirking at her!

He shrugged casually, still smirking as he looked into those two blue orbs of hers. He could almost see himself reflected in them. "You didn't get out of the mountain much, except to go home or grocery shopping. You once really crushed Teal'c's hopes when you informed him there was no zoo in Colorado Springs, while the poor guy had wanted to check out this 'phenomenon'," Jack explained, making air quotes. "Daniel and I had to convince both of you that there indeed was a zoo, had to drag you two all the way over there before you believed us."

"Oh," she said, not knowing how else to respond. She felt kind of foolish, even though she didn't remember it. "Did we at least have fun?"

"Yeah sure you betcha," Jack quipped, winking at her. It  _had_  been fun when they'd finally gone there a little over a year ago, to cheer her up after Jacob's death. "Maybe we should head back?"

Sam stood there, staring at him as she thought about it. "Do you know another trail that leads back or do we have to take that one," she pointed to the one that had led them here, "back?"

"No, we can go around here," he replied, jerking his head to his right where another trail would lead them back.

"So," she drawled out, padding over to where he was standing now, making sure to avoid most of the snow, as she had no desire to slip and tumble all the way down. "How come you know your way around here?" She asked as she reached for his hand.

Jack was pleasantly surprised and entwined his gloved fingers with hers, squeezing hand softly before pulling her closer. "I used to come up here in the vacations… with Charlie and Sara would sometime join us. Sometimes we'd go with the whole family, including her parents, well before her mother died."

"Oh, I see," Sam said quietly, ducking her head. She'd already figured he was the outdoorsy type, what with their job and all and she knew she liked it too, although she didn't mind cities like DC either. Mark had told her they used to move around a lot with their Dad in the AF so that was probably how she'd gotten used to the different surroundings. It was just a bit unexpected to hear that her husband used to hang out here with his ex-wife and their son.

"Hey," he tugged on her arm as he stopped walking, waiting for her to look up at him. "Does that upset you?" he wouldn't know why, but if her reaction was anything to go by he figured it did. "I can't help it that I had a life before I met you, Sam," he told her, lifting her chin with his finger gently. "Charlie loved the outdoors and I usually took him with me to go camping or hiking whenever I was in the country, and yes, sometimes Sara would join us. But that doesn't mean  _we_  – you and I," he gestured between them with his free hand, "can't enjoy ourselves here."

"I know," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'm being silly."

Jack snorted and moved his hand to cup her cheek, gently caressing it with his thumb. "You couldn't be silly if you tried, Samantha Carter-O'Neill," he grinned, still enjoying the fact that she carried  _his_  name now too, even if only in their private lives. "Besides," he started, thinking that he didn't want to all about her previous lovers, only to stop himself. The thought of Shanahan had come to mind unbidden and he felt a sudden surge of jealousy and possessiveness, before he was able to push it down. "Never mind," he mumbled, tearing his gaze away from her large eyes.

"What?" Sam asked, keeping her ground as he wanted to start walking again. She tugged on his arm. "Jack?"

"It's nothing," he made a dismissive wave, wanting to forget about the other men in her life. "I guess I understand what you meant," he muttered.

She bit back a giggle as she saw the face he pulled, reminding her of a wronged little boy. "I guess we both have a past, huh? Even if I don't remember much of mine," she added, shrugging. She couldn't worry about that now, not when she knew there wasn't anything she could do to remember more and faster. Not when she was spending some quality time with Jack, here in the mountains. After talking about everything last night, the emotions running up so high they'd both ended up crying and having a fitful sleep, she felt much more comfortable around him. She didn't wait for him to give her some sign that he wanted her near, no she just reached out and grabbed his hand – and he held onto it!

"You will," Jack replied, before glancing back at her. "What are you laughing about?"

"Nothing," she smiled at him, snuggling up to his side and pushing their linked hands inside his coat pocket. "Just enjoying… this."

"The air, the mountains, the view…?"

Sam bit her lip and let her head rest on his shoulder as they started walking again. "The company."

"Good," he smirked, pushing up his shoulder to dislodge her head as he leaned closer. "Because I'm not going anywhere," he replied, quickly kissing her on the lips.

She was about to respond when he pulled back already. Slightly disappointed, Sam licked her lips, tasting him and decided to enjoy the silence and their surroundings.

* * *

"Sir," David Dixon said, feeling a bit stupid as always as he peered into the camera attached to the MALP.

 _"Colonel Dixon, what's your status?"_ General Landry's voice came through loud and clear.

Glancing over his shoulder to check on Bosworth, Dave replied. "We're good, Sir…."

_"I hear a but coming up, Colonel."_

"The Tok'ra," he grimaced. "After we contacted them about one of their own, Zarin, amongst the casualties here at P3S-114, thinking they might want to have a ceremony or something, they ah… started bitching, Sir."

_"Excuse me?"_

"Yeah, well, you see, Sir," he stammered a bit, once again looking at the rest of his team. They looked all right, but they could probably do without those goddamn Tok'ra in their faces.

 _"I wasn't aware the Tok'ra could 'bitch',_   _Colonel_."

Dave was pretty sure there was a tint of humor in his voice and he could only imagine Walter behind the controls, trying to stop himself from snickering. "Oh yeah, Sir, bitch and moan like the best. Must be that genetic memory thing," he mumbled, more to himself than the general. "Anyway," he returned his attention to the conversation with his CO, "they aren't very happy with us right now and are demanding to go with us to Earth to talk to you and General O'Neill."

 _"Well…"_ There was a short pause and Dave thought the general had actually sounded a bit annoyed with the news.  _"Tell them now is not a good time and they can come back later."_

He heard Wells and Balinsky snicker behind him and cleared his throat, sending them his colonel-glare. "Ah, are you sure that's a wise thing, Sir?" General Landry was a bit more by the book than Jack O'Neill had been while commanding the SGC – not that anyone had expected him to change because of a star on his shoulder – and most of the time even more than General Hammond. It wasn't like him to say something like that. Then again, they were pretty busy with their search for Ba'al and he probably had a lot of heat to take from the President and the JCS as well. O'Neill even more so, but everyone knew he could care less, especially with his child on the line.

 _"General O'Neill took Colonel Carter out for the day, so he isn't here… No need for me to be stuck with them_ ," he muttered the last, but it was still loud enough for Dave to hear.

"Right, of course, Sir, it's just that they are pretty insistent. They even said something about hunting Ba'al…."

_"Ah, alright, take them with you. Might as well get it over with."_

"Yes Sir," Dave nodded, letting out a breath of relief. It wasn't that he was afraid of those guys, he just wasn't very comfortable around them. In particular when one of them was wounded, because they all knew what had happened to the then-Captain Carter years ago.

* * *

"General Landry?" Daniel asked after the wormhole shut down.

"What is it, Dr. Jackson?"

He shrugged, waiting for the man to turn around. "Ah, I was just wondering if we'd heard something from Teal'c or the Jaffa."

"As a matter of fact, we did," Hank smirked at the younger man, pointing towards the spiral staircase so that they could walk upstairs. "Teal'c and Master Bra'tac will arrive within the hour."

"Good," Daniel smiled as he went up to the briefing room, letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "Do we know what the Council decided?"

He shook his head, tapping the file in his hand before throwing it on the briefing room table. "No, we don't, but Teal'c sounded confident and he said he was on his way to talk to some of his men."

Daniel was about to say that Teal'c always sounded confident, but decided to let Jack be the pessimist around the SGC and simply nodded. "Well, it sounds as if either way, we're going to get  _some_  help at least."

"You-"

"Sir!" Walter exclaimed as he ran up the stairs, slightly out of breath.

Hank turned back towards the stairs, his eyebrows raised at the behavior of his assistant. "Walter, what's wrong?"

"We got a communication from the Asgard, Sir!"

"That's great," Daniel almost yelped in excitement at the same time as the klaxons sounded. "SG-13 and the Tok'ra?"

"One would assume, Dr. Jackson," Hank replied, still smirking at the news. "Why don't you call Jack and tell him that they need to get back here and," he turned back to Walter, stepping over to the stairs to make his way back to the control room, "you can show me the message while we wait for SG-13 and the Tok'ra to settle in the gate room."

Walter bobbed his head enthusiastically and quickly made his way down the stairs. "Yes Sir!"

"Of course," Daniel mumbled as General Landry was already out of earshot. He didn't really want to call Jack, because he knew that his two friends could use some time alone, away from here. Then again, he also knew they would want to know what was going on and Jack was probably needed here. If not for the Tok'ra and SG-13's debriefing, then he'd want to be here for Teal'c's report. Sighing, Daniel reached for his cell phone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gehenna -"Place of Torment." The Valley of Hinnom, south-west of Jerusalem, where Solomon, king of Israel, built "a high place", or place of worship, for the gods Chemosh and Moloch. The valley came to be regarded as a place of abomination because some of the Israelites sacrificed their children to Moloch there. In a later period it was made a refuse dump and perpetual fires were maintained there to prevent pestilence. Thus, in the New Testament, Gehenna became synonymous with hell.


	31. Winter Wonderland

Sam shrieked when she went down to dodge the snowball and landed in the fluffy, but cold snow. She could hear him freeze mid-stride, probably surprised by her actions and immediately rolled on her back to get up again. He, however, was too fast.

Stunned, he watched her go down, flying through the air as if she was dodging a staff blast – instead of a mere snowball. Her laughter snapped him out of it and, shaking his head, Jack smirked. She rolled on her back, her hands flat on the snow ready to push her lean body up. He leaped forward, ready to pounce on her before she got to her feet. He heard her gasp, his bodyweight pressing her further into the snow, probably winding her with his momentum. "Gotcha," he grinned as she tried to throw him off, ignoring their surroundings. "Ack!" he grabbed her wrist as her arm moved away and she grabbed a handful of snow. "Stand down, Colonel," he quipped, exerting more pressure on her wrist until she let go of the snow. Jack shifted his weight on her when she started writhing underneath him, still struggling to get the upper hand but her actions conjured up a completely different memory – one much more pleasant – from his dirty mind.

She had gotten cold on their way down from the trail, despite the distance they'd covered. It was probably the cold wind and the fact that it was freezing in combination with her coat. Apparently, she didn't have a winter coat at their Colorado Springs apartment and when they'd been beamed over from Washington she'd grabbed her leather coat. Now, the coldness from the snow underneath her was a sharp contrast with Jack's heavy, but warm body on top of her. His dark eyes were intense, staring into her own blue ones and she felt flares of excitement shooting through her body, making her breath hitch. Relenting, Sam let her head fall back and spread her fingers on both hands, lifting those a bit in surrender. He grinned at the gesture, his gloved hand releasing her wrist but his grin turned into a groan when she tried to throw him off again, trying to catch him off guard.

"Sam," Jack almost growled, narrowing his eyes at her. Her blue orbs were twinkling and she'd started giggling after her hip had impacted his groin.  _Oh yeah, she definitely felt it_ , he thought to himself when her shoulders started shaking with her giggles.  _That_ definitely wasn't helping his arousal and he grabbed both her wrists so he could move without her pushing him off her. "No giggling, Carter."

A flush crept up her neck and she could feel her cheeks burn as she tried to suppress her giggles. The feeling of his hard body covering hers had relaxed and excited her and when their eyes had met, the desire she felt was mirrored in his chocolaty eyes that slowly turned darker until they were almost black. His breathing had – like hers – become shallow and she could see little clouds for after their breath left their mouths due to the cold air. When she'd tried to throw him off again, she'd felt something unmistakable pressing against her hip. He'd unbuttoned his coat during their hike and her writhing had only served to let the black woolen coat fall open, making her grind her hips against his jeans-clad erection in her efforts. Sam swallowed hard when he grabbed both wrists and moved to straddle her, never breaking eye contact.

Jack shifted as he straddled her, trying to get comfortable in the confines of his dark jeans. She wasn't helping much as she was laying there being gorgeous with the snow as a sharp contrast to her rosy-colored cheeks. Her long blond locks spread over the snow, her bangs peeping out from underneath the black beanie she was wearing, her darkened blue eyes open wide and her pink lips parted slightly with just a hint of her white teeth visible. Her chest was heaving and the emotions crossing her face were  _so_ tempting… He had to stop himself from rocking his hips against her, anything to relieve the pressure, the ache in his groin.  _God_ , it had been too long… but they were still in the park, he chastised himself. They were wide in the open, not even hidden from view by a tree or a small bush. "Carter," he hissed when she moved her hips. "Time to cool down, Colonel," he grinned mischievously, reaching to his side.

"Don't you dare," Sam squeaked when he raised a hand full of snow. "Jack!" She yelped as he let some of the snow fall on her face, trickling down her cheeks and neck. Bucking her hips, she tried to throw him off, escape the snow that was trickling under her scarf and into her décolletage. The bastard was chuckling now, still holding both her wrists in a vice-like grip with one of his hands, slowly torturing her with the cold snow. It almost melted immediately as it touched her overheated cheeks and neck, making her shudder in his grip.

"Fuck," he muttered when she bucked again, his lower body enjoying it far too much. Jack slowly moved his legs from her sides so that she had more room to move, without grinding against him.

"Jack, it's cold!"

He thought she was still rather hot, especially when she was squirming and whimpering as he let some more snow fall until there was nothing left in his hand. "I don't know, Samantha," he drawled her name, "you still look a bit flushed."

"I'm getting soaked here," she groaned, her butt freezing to the ground. "It's not funny anymore," she spluttered as a few snowflakes fell into her mouth.  _Oh great, now it's starting to snow too!_  "Jaaaack!"

Closing his eyes at the images assaulting his mind after  _those_  words, Jack groaned as his cell phone started vibrating in his pants.  _Like having Carter writhing underneath me isn't stimulating enough_ , he thought reaching for the phone with his now empty hand. He pulled off his leather glove with his teeth before flipping it open when he saw the number. "O'Neill!"

Sam winced at his bark, but saw an opportunity and with one swift move she rolled them over. Purposely straddling him, she scooted a bit lower until she felt his erection press against her – snow-soaked – six. She swatted his free hand away when it came up and pushed it back in the snow, smirking at his helpless position.

"What is it, Daniel?" Jack growled into the phone, glaring at his wicked wife.

 _"Ah, Jack? The Tok'ra are coming along with SG-13, they insisted._ "

Gritting his teeth, he tried to keep himself from pushing Sam back and keep his hips still. He thanked his lucky stars that his coat was keeping his back and ass dry when he wormed his hand free from her grip and slowly moved it up her leg, until it rested on the swell of her rear. Her jeans were definitely wet and now he felt a bit guilty about pushing her down in the snow. "What's that got to do with me, Danny Boy?"

Sam leaned forward as she pricked up her ears, hoping to be able to overhear Daniel's part of the conversation too.

 _"General Landry told me to call you… Teal'c and Master Bra'tac will be here in less than half an hour and we also got a communication from the Asgard_ ," he replied.  _"I thought you and Sam would want to know and-_ "

"You're right," Jack sighed, rolling his eyes.  _Looks like our day out is being cut short!_  "We'll be there in an hour. O'Neill out," with that he let his head fall back in the snow to look at the beauty straddling him.

She gave him a bright smile. "It's okay," Sam told him before he could apologize. She hadn't heard Daniel's part very well, but she'd could tell from Jack's tensing that it was important. "I need to get out of these clothes anyway."

"Oh yes you do," he mumbled, more to himself than her. Once again chastising his overactive imagination, Jack reached up with his hand to cup her cheek. He gently brushed his thumb over the smooth skin before moving his hand to the back of her head. His eyes locked on hers as he pulled her closer. "Samantha," he moaned softly when her tongue darted out to wet her lips. Lifting his head, he captured her lips with his before she could protest. He could taste her on her lips, but it wasn't enough. Tracing the contours of her mouth with the tip of his tongue, Jack pulled her even closer and gently rocked his hips against her.

Sam's eyes fluttered when she felt his tongue poke out, overcome with emotions as she opened her mouth. She sucked his tongue inside, tangling it with her own as she placed her hands next to his face. The move allowed her to dip her head lower while her six pressed firmly against his erection. "Jack," she breathed, opening her eyes as she released his lips to breathe.

"We have to get up," he murmured, looking into her flushed face. She nodded but didn't move. He did, but only to claim her lips again.

Hearing low, hushed voices from behind them made her realize where they were. Breaking the kiss, she leaned back, smirking when she brushed against his erection again when she straightened. "Payback," she exclaimed, grabbing a hand full of snow.

"Sam!" Jack yelped, realizing her intentions a nanosecond too late and before he could stop her she was rubbing snow in his face. "Damn woman," he exclaimed when it fell into his collar and she brought up another hand. "I don't think so!"

She shrieked again when he jumped up, throwing her on her back as he loomed over her.

"You know, normally I'd have your ass for assaulting a senior officer," he mockingly warned her.

Chuckling, Sam pushed against his chest as she tried to get up. "I think, technically, you already have it," she quipped once he helped her up and she brushed the snow from her jeans and leather jacket with her free hand.

His eyes snapped up to her face. "Excuse me?"

She beamed at him, standing on her toes to press a kiss on his lips, still holding his hand. She didn't have any gloves with her and she enjoyed his rough calloused hand in hers. Despite taking off his glove, his hand was still very warm while hers was freezing from grabbing the snow.

Confused, Jack wanted to ask her what she was saying and at the same time he wanted to ravish her right then and there, but he couldn't do either as he heard someone call his name. Frowning, he turned around, looking at the trails of the 'Garden of the Gods'.

"Jack? Jack O'Neill!"

Sam heard it too and, seeing that her husband was just as confused, she turned around. Bringing her hand up to shield her eyes from the bright morning sun, she peered at the paths they'd traded for this patch of snow-covered grass when they decided to enjoy the snow a bit more. "Do you recognize anyone?" She asked, jerking her head towards the silhouettes across them. It wasn't like she'd recognize someone unless she'd met them in the past few weeks.

Jack shook his head, narrowing his eyes against the sunbeams. He reached into his breast pocket and grabbed his aviator sunglasses. "C'mon," he grabbed her hand again to make their way over to the path. He saw two silhouettes standing still, one waving his arm and the other turned slightly away but he and Sam were looking into the sun and he couldn't see their faces.

"Jack!"

"Mike?" he asked warily when he came closer. Glancing at Sam, he minutely shook her head to indicate she didn't know him. Why would Mike call out to him? That's when he saw the woman standing beside the older man, slightly turned away as if she was uncomfortable. "Sara," he almost whispered.

"Hello Jack," she replied in the same tone as she turned to face him. Daring a glance at the woman next to him, she recognized the blonde he'd introduced as his wife a few weeks ago in Washington. Throwing a glare at her father, Sara mustered a smile. "Hello Colonel… ah, I'm sorry, I forgot your name," she admitted, embarrassed.

"Sam," Sam replied coolly, feeling uncomfortable. Of all the people they had to run into Jack's ex-wife, again? Hadn't he told her that she was remarried and living in Washington with her new husband?

"Jack, aren't you going to introduce me to this lovely young lady?" Mike asked, looking at his former son-in-law.

He grimaced, scrubbing his face with his ungloved hand. "Of course, Sam this is Mike, Sara's father. Mike, this is my wife, Lieutenant Colonel Samantha Carter."

"Military?" Mike questioned, giving her a small smile as he shook her hand. "A pleasure, Ma'am."

"Call me Sam," she replied, smiling shyly. "So," she tried to break the awkward silence. "Are you enjoying the surroundings?"

Mike nodded, grinning at her.  _She sure is a looker_ , he thought as he glanced between her and Jack. The man certainly was lucky, he hadn't expected him to recover from losing Charlie, especially not after he'd come to visit the house and Sara a couple of years ago. He'd seemed confused and Sara had gotten very upset, but afterwards she wouldn't –  _couldn't_ , she'd told him – talk about what had happened after he left the two of them alone. "Yeah, we used to come here all the time with the family."

"Jack told me," Sam retorted, looking up at her husband.

"Really?" Sara questioned, again surprised that Jack would share anything about their life with his new wife. She was happy that he'd moved on, he deserved to as much as she did. She'd forgiven him for what had happened to Charlie years ago but he just never seemed able to forgive himself. Even after that strange incident when he'd come to the house he hadn't really opened up to her about anything. She'd assumed that was just the way he was, but apparently he did talk to his new wife.

Jack cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yeah, we were feeling a bit cooped up at the base so I took Sam out here and I told her I used to take Charlie here all the time, and how you," he looked at Mike and Sara, "would join us at times."

"I'm glad to see you looking good, Jack," Mike said after a minute. He was pretty sure Jack looked even better than those eight years ago. Sure, his hair had turned gray but he seemed genuinely happy, although there was still a looming sadness in his eyes and face. "Sara told me she ran into you in Washington a few weeks ago and told me about your wife… I'm just glad you've found her safe and sound."

"Yeah," he grinned, pulling Sam against him, "me too."

"I thought you lived in Washington with your new husband?" Sam asked the other woman.

Sara nodded slowly, wondering why she was asking. "Yes, I do. My Dad lives not too far from here in our old house," her eyes quickly darted to Jack before she looked back at the attractive colonel. "Dick and I were visiting, we're staying for Thanksgiving and he had work to do so Dad and I decided to go out here."

"It's lovely here around this time of year," Mike chimed in, "and it's only about an hour and a half drive."

Sam bobbed her head enthusiastically. "It really is beautiful out here. Jack and I went up there," she pointed to where they'd been enjoying the view earlier, "and the view is breathtaking."

"I'll take your word for it, Sam," he replied, smiling. "I'm too old to go up there!"

"I doubt that," she shook her head sincerely, "it's not very difficult and the view is worth it."

He shrugged, winking at Jack. "Well, we're not all spring chickens anymore and I certainly don't have your physical training."

"Oh, but I'm still recovering too," she told him, making a dismissive wave with her hand. "It was no problem at all."

Seeing Mike and Sara's frowns, Jack clarified. "Sam is still recovering from her abduction… she lost a lot of weight and had some medical problems," he said as vaguely as possible.

"Well, you look fine to me," Mike complimented her with a grin, pleased to see his comment made her blush. He'd always liked Jack, despite the fact that the man was hardly there for Sara or Charlie due to his career and he'd always suspected that Jack and Sara still would've been together if Charlie hadn't died. He thought that Jack wanted her back when he'd come to the house all those years ago, but he'd been there to mourn Charlie. Then Sara had met Dick Kozak and they'd gotten married, although Mike knew that his daughter still cared a lot for Jack. Now, though, he was happy to see that Jack had found someone too even though it was a bit strange to see them together. He suspected it was the same for his daughter because of the way she'd told him about her chance encounter with Jack, when she'd learned he'd remarried from one of his friends. Later on, they'd met again and she'd hardly said a word about it other than that Jack's new wife looked nice.

"Yes, you look healthy," Sara commented. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Sam replied, shrugging. "Just need to put on some weight according to my doctor."

"Yeah, you're still a bit skinny," Jack said, playfully squeezing her waist. "We were just enjoying the outdoors after being stuck on base for so long," he turned towards the other two people when he realized they were still there.

"Oh, was that what you were doing?" Sara asked disapprovingly. She'd seen the two rolling around in the snow like a couple of teenagers – at first, she thought they  _were_  teenagers – and thought it was very inappropriate. She'd been shocked when her father remarked that the man looked like Jack and then she'd heard that distinctive way he answered his phone – apparently, some things never change. They hadn't seen each other in over eight years and now they ran into each other for the third time in a couple of weeks?

Sam ducked her head shyly, hiding her blush and the grin that threatened to overtake her facial expressions. "Jack thought he could take me," she shrugged.

"In a snowball fight," he hastily added, seeing their shocked faces.

"I won," she grinned at them.

"You cheated," Jack scolded.

She rolled her eyes at him and gave him a placating smile. "Of course, Jack."

Mike chuckled, shaking his head at Jack's reddened cheeks. "Looks like you're whipped, son!"

Jack grumbled something incomprehensible, before glancing at his watch. "We, ah, have to go," he padded the cell phone in his pocket, "I got a call that we had to go back to base."

"It was nice meeting you," Sam smiled at Mike. "Sara."

"Sam, Jack," she nodded her head. "Come on, Dad, we have to get going too because Dick will be home in two and a half hours."

Mike nodded. "She's a charmer, Jack," he glanced at Sam. "A real keeper. Make sure you don't lose her, son."

Jack smirked at him. "I'm never letting her go, Mike." Throwing his ex and her father a sloppy salute, Jack turned on his heels and walked Sam back to their car.


	32. Next Step

"Jack, finally! What took you so long? Where is Sam? Did something happen? Jack? Hello, Jack?" Daniel asked, almost tripping over his words when Jack finally came out of the elevator. "Jack?"

"Daniel, for crying out loud," Jack exclaimed, waving his arm around as if to bat him away. "Could you ask more questions?"

"But-"

Continuing on his path, Jack glared at him. "I told you we'd be here in an hour and Sam is still in the locker room."

"Why didn't you wait for her?"

"She was cold from the snow, she's taking a shower," he rolled his eyes as they turned the corner.

"Well-Oh!" Daniel nodded his head, understanding. "Teal'c arrived a few minutes ago but he is in his quarters."

Jack's head snapped up. "Why isn't he in the briefing room?"

"Ah, the Tok'ra are there and they aren't… happy," he spoke softly, glancing around to make sure no one was overhearing. "General Landry told me to go get you and I'm pretty sure Teal'c made sure to avoid them."

"Great, just great," Jack muttered, taking a deep breath when they reached the briefing room. The deadly silence in the room unnerved him as he'd expected some arguing or at least a discussion. "Well, howdy folks."

"General O'Neill, I am pleased to see you again," Anise dipped her head in greeting.

"Swell," he mumbled under his breath. Looking up, Jack spread his arms. "Anise, Freya," he looked at the other two Tok'ra and his eyebrow did a Teal'c impression. "Delek, Garshaw and Yosuuf … where have you been? You never write. You don't call-"

Garshaw smiled slightly, dipping her head. "General O'Neill, I have not yet had the opportunity to congratulate you on your promotion."

"Actually, that's two promotions," he quipped, holding up his fingers. "But who's counting, huh?"

Straightening in his chair, Delek looked at the two generals. "General O'Neill, could we please begin the proceedings?"

Jack turned to Daniel. "Oh, they're 'proceedings' now?" he asked quietly. "We've gotta wait for Carter," he told the snakeheads as he plopped down in his chair. "Hank, don't you think Teal'c should be here too?"

"He said he needed to kelno'reem," Hank replied, chuckling. "Is Colonel Carter on her way?"

"Indeed," Jack intoned mockingly. "Teal'c is such a coward," he mumbled to Daniel.

"Ah," Daniel cleared his throat, his face reddening. "What about SG-13?" He glared at Jack when he shrugged and turned hopeful eyes to General Landry.

"Their presence is not required," Delek said curtly.

"You sure," Jack asked, his eyebrows shooting up. "As you were… bothering them and insisting on coming along for the ride to our little planet."

"I ensure you, General O'Neill, that we did not 'bother' them," Anise said, nonplussed.

Now it was Hank's turn to look perplexed. "Well, with all due respect, that is not what my men told me."

Jack let out a low whistle, shaking his head slightly. He hadn't seen this side of Hank in quite some time. Normally he was like a big teddy bear, especially when talking to allies. "Ah, Carter come in," he broke the tense silence and smirked at her, glancing at the empty seat beside him.

Sam strode in purposefully and turned towards the two generals. "My apolog-"

"It's alright, Colonel Carter," Hank made a dismissive wave after glancing at Jack. "You were held up and it was supposed to be your day off. Hell, you're technically still on medical leave."

"Yes Sir," she smiled shyly before taking a seat and nodding at the present Tok'ra. She recognized one of them, Anise or Freya whatever the hell her name was, from when they'd offered her that risky procedure with a memory recall device. The other two gave her a tight smile and seemed to recognize her.

"Walter," Hank called out when his Chief Master Sergeant walked up the stairs. "Get Colonel Dixon in here."

"Yes Sir," he nodded and turned on his heels to find the colonel, forgetting about the Asgard transmission he'd wanted to hand over.

Turning back to the people at his briefing room table, Hank smiled politely. "I think Colonel Dixon, the commander of SG-13 should be present as he was involved in this mission."

"General Landry," Delek stated, looking at the Tau'ri leader. He was somewhat confused as he knew O'Neill had once commanded this base and had been awarded with a higher position amongst his people, but he did not seem to be leading these proceedings. In fact, it appeared General Landry was in power and therefore he had decided to address him. "Our insistence on joining your men had not come forth of their current mission."

"Most likely," Garshaw added, raising a skeptical brow. She respected O'Neill ever since he had exposed Cordesh without having to. The Council had already declined the Tau'ri's offer of an alliance and she had insisted they did not leave their base of operations, afraid they might give up their location before they were able to move to another planet. Yet, O'Neill and his team had offered their help when they had been attacked, had even offered one of their own – Colonel Carter's father, Jacob Carter – as a host for the dying Selmak and he had found a traitor amongst her own people. Still, the Tau'ri male was a brilliant warrior and strategist and therefore she could only assume that the team they had encountered was involved in his personal crusade. "We are not aware of the details of their mission," she continued. "However, we wished to contact you regarding your recent activities throughout the galaxy."

"Really?" Jack drawled, lazily leaning back in his chair. "Because the last time we contacted you, we didn't even get voicemail."

Silently inquiring her fellow Tok'ra and her host, Anise turned towards the Tau'ri leader – the one with whom her host, Freya wanted to lo'machen – with a puzzled expression. "I do not believe I understand the meaning of that phrase."

Sighing, he rolled his eyes and pointed at Daniel. "A few weeks ago, he dialed up your regular 'we don't want you to know where we are secretly living despite the fall of the System Lords and your tremendous contribution to that, but if you must insist on contacting us'-address to give you guys a message," Jack narrowed his eyes at her, trying to gauge her reaction. Of course, she didn't bat an eyelid. He idly wondered if Anise and Freya had heard of botox or maybe that the snake was responsible for that lack of facial expression of the host. "Of course, you being… well, you, you didn't answer our call for help. Yet, now here you are, demanding entrance to our planet without so much as a hello."

"You must be mistaken," Delek replied, frowning. "We most certainly greeted the Tau'ri team we encountered on the planet."

"For crying out loud," he muttered under his breath and waved at Daniel. "Daniel, a little help here?"

"A-ah," he stuttered, pushing up his glasses as he glanced from Jack to the Tok'ra. "What Jack is so eloquently trying to say is that we had expected you to reply to our message so that we could discuss… certain things," he opted to say after silently inquiring from Jack how much to tell them.  _Not much_. "Instead, you didn't respond in any way whatsoever until we contacted you again – using the same address," he couldn't help but add, just in case they wanted to claim that they never received the first message he had sent after finding out about the missing baby. "To inform you that one of your own, Zarin had been discovered amongst those who had died on P3S-114."

"You know, being respectful towards one of your  _allies_ ," Jack emphasized the word, glaring at Garshaw. He never liked Anise or Freya and he certainly didn't get along with that asshole Delek who had been responsible disbanding their first alliance and the precarious one with the Rebel Jaffa. Garshaw, though, or maybe her host Yosuuf he could somewhat stand. If he were honest, the only Tok'ra he'd ever liked was Selmak, but he was pretty sure that was because of Jacob Carter being the host, a retired Air Force General – someone he could relate to with their careers and experiences being somewhat similar - who happened to be Sam's Dad. "We figured you might want to give her a proper ritual burial or, you know, do a little brain research," he couldn't help but add, remembering how Martouf had ended up – not that he'd liked the snakehead but Sam had cared for him somewhat and thus he'd tried to be 'nice.'

"Sirs," Dave Dixon nodded from the doorway.

"Colonel Dixon, please join us," Hank beckoned the man inside. "You've already met the Tok'ra…"

"Yes Sir," Dave nodded as he took an empty seat on the human side of the table. Seeing everyone focus their attention on him, he shifted in his chair and figured he might as well explain what had happened as he and his men hadn't had time yet to debrief after coming back with the Tok'ra. The CMO, Doc Fraiser, had hauled their asses to the infirmary for a post-mission exam and then they'd gone to the showers to get cleaned up. "After discovering the body of the Tok'ra among the many victims on the planet, we contacted you," he looked at General Landry, "and on your order we contacted the Tok'ra to inform them."

"We were grateful for your message," Garshaw inclined her head, deciding to ignore O'Neill's earlier comments assuming he was trying to goad her.

"Funny way of showing it," Jack mumbled softly.

Sam heard, however and turned to look at him. It was clear to her that there was a lot of animosity between him – most of the  _people_  in the room actually – and the Tok'ra. She still didn't remember them, although she'd been fighting that sickening feeling in her stomach the moment she'd stepped into the briefing room, just like the last time she'd encountered these aliens. Somehow, it felt familiar but not pleasant. An image seemed to form in her mind but whenever she tried to focus it was gone, before she even knew what it had been. She did, however, know that this wasn't a friendly visit from some long-distance allies and she regretted that they had to ruin the day Jack had planned for the two of them.

She smiled slightly as she thought back to earlier in the morning, when they had been rolling around in the snow, each trying to outdo the other… before things had gotten heated. Her cheeks burned up, but a quick survey of the room told her no one was looking at her as Colonel Dixon was rehashing what exactly had happened on the planet. She'd felt confident even with Jack on top of her, clearly aroused and she'd enjoyed the close contact they'd had. There had been more contact lately, but those were mostly reassuring or comforting gestures and there had only been a few fleeting caresses – mostly coming from Jack.

Now, however she felt much more confident, especially after their late night talk the other night. She idly wondered what would have happened if they hadn't been in such a public place… if they hadn't been interrupted by Mike and Sara – his  _ex_. Although Sam's heart had leapt with joy when she'd heard what Jack told Mike before walking her to the car, she'd come down to Earth pretty fast in the car with her wet clothes and on their way to the base. Jack hadn't been very talkative and she knew the chance encounter had been at least as awkward for him as it was for her.

"… did not demand anything," Delek said, affronted.

"Really?" Jack questioned, one eyebrow shooting up.

Dave snorted, shaking his head. "You were pretty demanding-"

"Adamant, perhaps," Garshaw tried to intervene for the sake of all parties. "It was not our wish to force you, Generals. We merely felt it was necessary to discuss this matter in person," she concluded, casting a warning glare at Delek when he tried to open his mouth again.

Looking at Hank, Jack realized his old friend had enough of this as well. "And what exactly would be the issue here?" He asked, glancing at Garshaw, ignoring Delek in the hopes that he would butt out.

"What we believe to be your pursuit of the last of the System Lords, Ba'al," Anise replied confidently.

"How so?" Hank questioned, raising his caterpillar-shaped eyebrows.

"Ya know," Jack spoke up before one of the Tok'ra could answer as he twirled a pen around. "You would have known what we've been up to if you had, oh I don't know, contacted us when we sent you a message."

"We are aware of that now, General O'Neill," Anise conceded haughtily, once again wondering what her host found so attractive of this human. She would not admit, however that they would continue their policy on cooperation with other races, namely the Tau'ri despite this event.

"What makes you think that we are pursuing Ba'al?" Daniel asked innocently, blinking owlishly behind his glasses.

"Please, do not insult our intelligence Doctor Jackson," Garshaw chided mildly, "nor try to patronize us," she added when General Landry tried to speak up, no doubt to pretend they were unaware of what she was saying.

"Okay," Sam nodded, breaking the silence that had descended upon the room as no one said a word. "Let's say we are pursuing Ba'al, what does it have to do with you?"

"We too are pursuing him," Delek replied curtly. "He must be captured, face a tribunal and punishment for his actions over the last centuries and he must be extracted from the host."

Jack rolled his eyes dramatically, before leaning back in his chair. "Oh, if that's all…."

"You have been interfering with our pursuit," Garshaw remarked haughtily.

"You mean like you were interfering with SG-13's mission, which by the way was part of the bigger picture – capturing Ba'al."

Anise prevented her host from smiling at his retort and merely dipped her head in acknowledgment. "Indeed, General O'Neill."

"Let me get this straight," Daniel sat up in his chair, looking from General Landry to the Tok'ra representatives. "We are looking for Ba'al, trying to capture him because of the ba-what he did to Sam," he hastily corrected himself when Jack's death glare was directed at him, "and you are looking for Ba'al to capture and punish him."

"You are most certainly correct," Garshaw smiled at him.

"Isn't this like a win-win situation?" Jack asked, puzzled by why the Tok'ra were getting their panties in a twist over this while they were after the same thing!

Frowning, Anise considered his words. "Perhaps you are correct; if either of us succeeds in capturing Ba'al we have both accomplish our goal, have we not?"

"That's what I said."

Delek leaned forward on the table, resting his leather-clad arms on the surface. "Your goals do not concern us. We have been disabling the Goa'uld for thousands of years-"

"And you've been doing  _such_  a good job," Jack interrupted sarcastically, making a dramatic gesture with his hands. "Daniel, remind me again, when exactly did we start fighting the Goa'uld?" He turned towards Delek with a blank face. "I'm getting old, it's hard to keep track of things like time."

"Do not mock us," he retorted, seething underneath his relatively calm exterior. "O'Neill if you do-"

"What, are you going to punish me for my impudence?" Jack quipped. "Oh no, wait, that would be those cousins of yours."

"Enough," Garshaw exclaimed, raising her hand in a warning gesture when Delek tried to speak again.

Sam grabbed Jack's arm with her hand, afraid he might speak up again. She just wanted to get this over with so they could hear what Teal'c had discovered and check out the message the Asgard – according to what Daniel had told her a few days ago they were pretty powerful allies - had sent. "Jack," she whispered, shaking her head at him when he looked at her.

He sighed, patting the hand on his arm, smirking when she subconsciously started to trace small circles on his arm with her thumb.  _Okay, I'll just enjoy this while those snakeheads keep ranting_. "Fine, whatever."

"I still don't understand why you insisted on coming here," Hank said, focusing on Garshaw. "You obviously have no intentions of working together on this and-"

"No we don't," Delek interrupted him, defiantly. "We prefer to this our own way."

"Because that has been serving the galaxy so well over the past couple of hundred years," Jack snorted, what almost turned into a yelp when Sam's fingers dug into his arm. "Hey!" He hissed softly at her, only to receive a glare in return.

"Then why are you here?" Dave spoke up, cocking his head. "Just to give us a heads-up that you guys are also out there?"

Glancing at her companions, Anise took a deep breath before turning to O'Neill and Landry. "We are requesting that you desist your efforts."

"You're kidding, right?" Jack huffed, glowering at her. "I mean, you guys aren't known for your sense of humor but even for you that's pretty bad."

"On the contrary, General O'Neill," Garshaw spoke quietly but confidently. "We are most serious about our request."

Even Daniel was slightly taken aback by this. Pulling off his glasses, he rubbed his eyes before planting them back on the bridge of his nose. "You actually want us to stop pursuing Ba'al after what he's done?"

"The Tau'ri set out to fight the Goa'uld and bring down the System Lords up that the Jaffa may live free," Delek summed up. "You have succeeded as the Jaffa Nation is fact, now you must allow us to do what we've set out for."

"What might that be?"

"Ridding the galaxy of the Goa'uld?" Jack suggested. "Yeah well, tough luck; Ba'al is ours and I'm not going to rest until he's dead."

Nonplussed at his aggressive tone, Garshaw looked from General O'Neill to General Landry. "Perhaps you would prefer to discuss this with your world's leaders-"

"No need for that," Jack growled. "I'm the head of Homeworld Security, which means I decide on such matters."

"I see," Anise inclined her head, already convinced that the man could not be deterred from his self-imposed mission.

"We could still work together," Hank offered, ignoring Jack's snort at that. "If we coordinate our efforts then maybe-"

Garshaw resignedly shook her head. "The High Council has already decided against that option."

"Of course, because that would actually mean  _sharing_  information," Jack sneered, fed up with this crap. Ever since Selmak and Jacob had died the Tok'ra had distanced themselves even further from them – not that he'd lie awake at night over that – but so far neither of them had taken steps to disband the alliance.  _Perhaps I should talk to the President about this_ , he mused.

"It is not the sharing of information that bothers us," Delek stated, "but the different modus operandi of our species."

"Why?" Daniel questioned, puzzled by the argument. "It's not like Ba'al has many Goa'uld serving him these days so there aren't any ranks you could infiltrate…."

"That is not of your concern," he replied curtly.

Realizing that the Tau'ri would not be willing to oblige to their request, as she had already surmised before coming here, Garshaw decided to breach the other subject they were concerned about. "We are however interested in your means of locating Ba'al."

"Oh, well, since you're asking so nicely," Jack retorted sarcastically, wondering how the Tok'ra had ever survived for so long with their idiotic manners.

"Jack," Hank admonished him, trying to keep the peace, they were still allies after all – although one couldn't tell from this meeting. "What do you mean, Garshaw?"

"Several of our operatives have reported to encounter your men, be that on planets or ships," she replied, cocking her head curiously. The Tau'ri had intrigued her from the moment they met and this latest development had only heightened her curiosity. "We have also heard from various sources that you are conducting a thorough search of several solar systems in this galaxy."

"Yeah well," Jack shrugged, smirking slightly as he remembered the Tok'ra receiver from Jacob and Selmak they had been using, "it's called strategizing. You can go run around the galaxy, infiltrating the non-existing ranks of Ba'al while we traipse around the galaxy to actually try and find where he and his clones are hiding out."

"Our paths have crossed often in the past," Anise spoke up, "yet this increased frequency is one of our concerns that you may harm one of our operations."

Hank cleared his throat and smiled at the Tok'ra. "We could avoid those situations if you tell us where your operatives are."

"I am afraid we cannot do such a thing, General Landry."

Jack wasn't surprised by her retort, he would've been more surprised if they had actually agreed to help them out. "So," he drawled, "was that all?"

Garshaw nodded stiffly, knowing they had reached the end of their discussion and yet were no further. "Very well. I must warn you however, that our operatives will not compromise their position if you get caught."

"Well, that's nothing new," Jack huffed, although he had to admit that the Tok'ra had helped them out a couple of times in the past. However, that didn't outweigh the times they had refused to help them. Plus, they had usually only offered help if they could do it without getting detected, if they were compromised already, dying or otherwise unable to complete their mission. "Just so you know; we will find Ba'al and I'll make sure he pays for what he's done."

* * *

"Sam, are you okay?"

She looked up and gave him a wan smile. "I'm fine, Daniel."

"Are you sure?" he asked, sitting down at her table with his tray of food. She looked a bit tired and she'd just been staring off into space when he'd entered the commissary. Usually, Sam would be reading about some experiment or something. Or at least enjoy her blue jello and not ignoring it like now. "You should eat something."

"I'm sure," Sam replied, taking a bite.

Daniel took a sip from his coffee. "I thought you would be happy now that Teal'c has convinced the High Council of the Jaffa Nation to work with us."

"I am," she nodded slowly, trying to convince him despite feeling a bit glum. "I just… worry."

"That's understandable," he replied, reaching out to cover her hand with his and giving it a little squeeze. "This situation… it's unimaginable and I can't possibly understand what you're going through, but I want you to know that I'm here for you, Sam. We all are, for you and Jack. That's what friends are for."

"I know, thank you," she sighed, glancing at her jello. She wasn't very hungry but she'd promised Jack – who was in a meeting with General Landry, Teal'c and the President – to eat something. "Daniel, is it possible to miss something you don't remember?"

Taken aback, he frowned. "Well, I guess that depends on what it is, Sam. But, of course, if you don't remember it you might not know what it is you are missing." Now thoroughly confused, Daniel tried again. "I mean, I guess you can. Why, are you missing something?"

Sam missed her life from before she was kidnapped, missed her memories of her marriage to Jack, to the things she'd accomplished over the years but most of all her heart ached for the glimpses of intimacy she'd seen and experienced with her husband and the baby they had lost. The one she couldn't remember conceiving, carrying or giving life to. The one she was afraid she'd never meet. "Everything," she whispered, trying to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Oh Sam," Daniel gasped, silently berating himself for his stupidity. Quickly he stood and walked around the table to plop down next to her, throwing an arm around her shoulder to pull her close. "I'm sorry, that was a stupid thing to say."

"It's okay," she sniffled, "we're in a stupid situation."

The heavy feeling on his heart lifted a bit at her tearful chuckle and he gently rubbed her back. "You heard Jack, Sam, we won't give up until we find Ba'al and the baby."

"What if it's too late by then?" She asked, pulling away from his to dry her tears. "What if it's already too late?"

"No," he shook his head, "it's not too late otherwise Ba'al wouldn't go through all the trouble of acquiring that DNA re-sequencer."

Sam shrugged helplessly, almost afraid to hope. She knew they would all do whatever they could to find her baby, but there were no guarantees in life, especially not in hers. "What about Teal'c's tablet?"

"They are trying to match the addresses with the ones in the computer," he told her. "Mathison and Hagman are still working on translating the Tok'ra mission reports that are updated on the subspace network."

"Good, that's good," Sam smiled tightly after brushing all her tears away and reached for her coffee.

"Sam, maybe you should try and take it easy a bit. You look tired and I'm sure Janet won't be pleased if she finds out you're overdoing it again."

"I'm not," she shook her head. "It's just… today," Sam sighed, rolling her eyes. "We were supposed to go out of the mountain to relax a bit, try not to think too much about the search for Ba'al and our lack of progress and instead all this," she waved around with her hands, making sure not to spill her coffee, "happens."

Dragging a hand through his hair, Daniel sat back in his chair. "You and Jack?" At her confirmative nod, he relaxed a bit. "Did you at least have fun this morning? Jack mentioned something about snow…?"

Sam chuckled, blushing. "He took me to the 'Garden of the Gods,' have you ever been there?"

"Ah, yes, actually. It's incredible," he bobbed his enthusiastically.

"I thought so too," she smiled dreamily. "Then when we went back, we got into a snowball fight and-"

"Really?" Daniel piped up, trying to imagine Jack and Sam – the USAF general and lieutenant colonel – playing in the snow. "I'm glad you had fun."

Biting her lip from smiling like an idiot, Sam glanced up at him through her lashes. "We did…"

 _Oh oh_ , Daniel thought _, I know that expression_. "What? Did something happen?"

"No!" She squeaked, feeling her cheeks burn even more as she remembered the excitement she'd felt while playing in the snow with Jack until… She grimaced. "Well, we did run into someone…."

"Who?" He asked, puzzled by who they would know in Colorado Springs as everyone from base was working towards finding Ba'al and the baby.

"Sara and her father," Sam sighed dejectedly. She'd asked Jack about it in the car after finally mustering the courage, but by then they were close to the base and he was already focused on their work, only giving short answers.

Daniel almost did a double take at that, unable to hide his surprise. "Oh, wow, that must have been awkward."

"Ya think?"

"You want to talk about it, Sam?" he asked, once again reaching for her hand and giving her an encouraging smile.

* * *

Jack let out a deep sigh before stretching his long frame. He had kinks in his back from sitting in those chairs all day, he thought glaring at said objects behind him as he stood with his front to the window overlooking the gate room. Teal'c had ensured that the Jaffa would help them out and they finally had an answer from the Tok'ra. Not the one everyone had been hoping for, but the one he'd expected – and for once, he was a bit disappointed with being right. He'd been  _this_  close to snapping that little neck of Anise or Freya – he really couldn't bother with distinguishing them from one another as he didn't like either of them – and kicking Delek and Garshaw to the curb too. Maybe he should have.

"Jack? What are you still doing here?" Hank asked as he strolled out of his office and into the briefing room. "I thought you would've gone to find your wife by now. If I'm not mistaken, you're not even supposed to be here all day."

He grimaced more than smiled at his friend's attempt at humor and turned towards him. "I don't know, Hank. I was just thinking, I guess. Any word on that tablet?"

"They were still working on it, but most of the planets have already been identified and Walter is checking the data from those we've already visited."

"What about the subspace network, any activity from the Tok'ra?"

Hank shook his head pensively. "No, nothing of importance or out of the ordinary. Do you think they suspect?"

"Nah," he made a dismissive wave with his hand at the idea of those snakeheads figuring out Sam's security protocols and what not. Maybe if Selmak and Jacob were still alive had they figured it out, although Jack doubted that they would've ratted out Sam. "They're probably too arrogant to even contemplate the possibility of someone hacking into it."

"Good point," he chuckled. "Mathison and Hagman are still translating the last of the reports from the operatives to see if there is anything that could point towards Ba'al."

"Hank," Jack realized something, "didn't Daniel say something about a transmission from the Asgard?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed, stunned that he had forgotten in all of the work. "Walter was supposed to bring it to us."

Turning on his heels, Jack descended the spiral staircase in a manner that belied his age. "Walter!"

"Yes Sir!" He replied automatically, nowadays not even caught unawares by either general. Although his wife sometimes startled when she called out his name and he'd bark out a 'Yes Sir!'

"What happened to the Asgard transmission?"

Gaping, Walter suddenly realized he'd forgotten to hand it over when he'd been sent away to find Colonel Dixon. "Ah, it's right here, Sir," he hit a few keys on the keyboard. "It still has to be translated…."

Jack quickly scanned the contents of Thor's message and was relieved to read that his old buddy would be here within seven days, as he still had some business to attend to in a different galaxy. "Thank you, Walter," he replied and swiveled around, making sure to tell Sam the good news – although he would've preferred it if Thor was actually here already.

Walter looked over his shoulder at General Landry. "Ah, Sir?"

"Send it to Doctor Jackson for translation," Hank sighed, suspecting that his old friend had neglected to tell them something about his ability to read foreign languages.


	33. Planning

"Come on, Sam," Daniel tried again, squeezing her hand softly.

She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Well, it was just… weird," she frowned, remembering the moment she'd recognized the woman. "We were just enjoying ourselves when you called to tell us we had to get back to the base."

"Ah, sorry about that," he grimaced, again feeling a bit guilty for interrupting their alone time. "But General Landry insisted Jack had to be there and Teal'c's news and the Asgard message were important enough to call you back in."

"I know," Sam nodded, scrunching up her nose. "Anyway, when we were about to get to the car someone called out to Jack."

"Sara?"

She shook her head slowly, pushing her empty bowl of jello to the side. "No, her father, Mike."

"Ah," Daniel murmured, having a faint idea of how awkward that must have been for all involved – Jack, Sara and Sam! "What were they doing there?"

"Apparently just going for a stroll," she shrugged. "Jack had already told me he used to take Charlie up to the 'Garden of the Gods' and that Sara and her parents would sometimes join them. Apparently, her father lives an hour and a half away from the park and she and her husband were visiting for the holidays."

Frowning, Daniel looked at her. "Holidays?"

"Yes, it's almost Thanksgivings Day, remember?"

"Oh! I completely forgot," he admitted, embarrassed. He'd been so consumed with the search for Ba'al, worried about Sam's wellbeing and how Jack was coping with everything that he'd completely lost track of the date. "So, do you have plans?" He asked, slightly uncomfortable. They'd usually celebrate with the team, Janet and Cassie whenever they were all on the same planet. But they hadn't celebrated any holidays – with the exception of Christmas – yet since Jack and Sam had gotten married.

"No," Sam replied slowly. "Mark left me a message, inviting Jack and me over but we both agreed we wouldn't go."

"Why not?"

She grimaced, wringing her hands together in her lap before glancing at him. "Let's just say neither of us is in a very thankful mood."

Daniel mentally slapped himself – again – for his stupidity. "Of course, I'm sorry, Sam. I shouldn't have brought it up-"

"It's okay, don't worry," she made a dismissive wave with her hand, trying to reassure him. "Do you have any plans?"

"Ah, no nothing actually," he shrugged casually. "I'm hoping we'll be out there to try and find the baby," he gave her a small smile as he pointed upwards.

"Me too," Sam nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She was trying to be hopeful, but still wasn't convinced that they'd find her baby – alive and well – or even get a clue as to where Ba'al might be.

Noticing her pensive expression, Daniel touched her arm. "What did Mark say?"

"Oh, we haven't told him about the baby yet," she adamantly shook her head, "it would only raise more questions – the kind I can't answer."

"I meant about declining his invitation," he explained gently.

"Haven't done that either," she smiled sheepishly. "I doubt he's still expecting us… but you're right, I should give him a call." Making a mental note, Sam shifted in her seat wondering what was taking Jack so long. Seeing Daniel was about to say something before shaking his head minutely, she raised her brows. "What is it?"

"Never mind," he mumbled.

Cocking her head to the side, Sam looked at him curiously. "C'mon, spill Daniel."

Shaking his head, he held up his hands in a defensive gesture. "No, it'd just upset you more," he retorted, before catching himself. "Ah shit, just forget it, Sam."

"For crying out loud, Daniel," she huffed, frustrated. "Just say it already."

Despite finding her expletive eerily familiar, he didn't react to it and just hung his head slightly. "I, ah… I was just thinking about the baby, ah… wondering, I mean," he stammered, glancing up at her through his glasses. "About… a name."

"Oh," she gasped, her nails digging into the palms of her hands in reaction. Her and Jack hadn't discussed baby names yet, at least not as far as she could remember. They didn't even know the sex of their child or its fate, how could they start discussing baby names when it wasn't sure they'd ever find their baby? Trying to suppress a sob rising from her chest, she brought up her hands and clenched her teeth.

"See, that's why I didn't want to say anything," Daniel mumbled, seeing how upset she was. "I'm sorry, Sam," he said sympathetically, not only apologizing for his callous question and her emotional distress, but for the entire situation – if only he could do more to help his friends!

Sam sniffled softly, her hands now covering her face as she tried to get her emotions under control. "I know," she mumbled, her voice muffled by her hands. She knew he hadn't meant to upset her and gave him a wan smile looking up at him when his hand soothingly rubbed her back. "Daniel?"

"Yeah?" He asked warily, wondering if he should say anything else because he didn't want to upset her even more.

"Do you," she sniffled, suppressing a rising hiccup, frowning as she looked at him with teary eyes. "Do you think that… well, that one of those Goa'uld can," she swallowed nervously, "can take a child as a host?"

Taken aback by her question, he gaped a few times, trying to think of an answer. "I don't know," he mumbled, his hand falling off her back now that she sat upright and he brought it up to push his glasses up his nose. "Maybe," he said cautiously, remembering when one of the Tok'ra had taken Reetou Charlie as a host. "But I don't think they would," he tried reassuring her. "Because of a child's limited development," as far as he knew Reetou Charlie had been an exception as he couldn't recall a young child being taken as a host before, certainly not an infant.

"Daniel, Sam," Jack greeted them cautiously as he neared their table, glancing from one to the other, his eyes taking in Sam's red-rimmed eyes and finally landed on Daniel. "What did you do, Daniel?"

"We were just talking," Daniel exclaimed, slightly moving away from Sam in his seat when Jack glared at him.

"It's okay," Sam sighed, reaching out to grab her husband's hand. "Daniel's right, I just got a bit emotional… tired, I guess."

Not completely convinced but realizing he shouldn't push her right now, Jack pulled her up by her hand and grabbed the tray containing her leftovers with his other hand. "I could use some sleep too," he told her, intent on getting them to their room so she could rest a bit. "What?" He asked when they were both looking at him. "I'm old, I can use a nap now that everyone is working on getting more leads and I'm not needed at the moment."

Daniel smiled, shaking his head but wise enough not to counter Jack's statement. He figured Sam could use the rest and that was probably the older man's intention. "Are you sure you're okay, Sam?"

"I'll be fine," she gave him a weak smile, leaning into Jack. "Are the Tok'ra gone?"

"Yeah, they left right after you. Teal'c has informed us and the President about what happened on Dakara, and Walter is finishing checking up on the planets provided by Rya'c's tablet. Some of the geeks are working on the Tok'ra subspace network and SG-3 is supposed to return from P2X-887 in five hours."

"What about the Asgard?" Daniel piped up, as he rose from his chair to clean up the table.

"Thor will be here in seven days, he had some unfinished business in a different galaxy and apologized for not replying sooner," Jack replied.

"Ah," he nodded, "that sounds better than the Tok'ra."

"O'Neill, Colonel Carter, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c intoned from the entrance of the commissary. "General Landry has just informed me that the proceedings with the Tok'ra did not go well."

"That's one way of putting it," Jack huffed, tugging on Sam's hand before walking towards his Jaffa friend, depositing the tray on their way over.

Daniel grimaced, also depositing his tray before joining his friends. "They, ah, wanted us to stop our hunt because apparently we were getting in their way."

"I see," Teal'c replied, raising an eyebrow.

Narrowing his eyes at him, Jack spoke up. "Where were you, T?"

"I assumed my presence was not required as Delek has already spoken of his feelings towards the Jaffa in the past."

"Yeah, he made it pretty clear he didn't think that highly of the Tau'ri, either," Daniel said slowly.

"Ah well," Jack shrugged, "we're going to our room, let me know if there is news."

* * *

"O'Neill did not seem concerned by the Tok'ra," Teal'c remarked when he seated himself in the briefing room.

Daniel sat down next to him, General Landry was already sitting at the head of the table and Colonel Reynolds and his team plus Lieutenant Hailey were sitting on the other side of the table.

Recalling their conversation in the commissary from a few hours ago, Daniel nodded. "Yes well, I think he already knew their answer. Besides, they were just being as vague as always."

"I think we all expected them to be like this," Hank chimed in. "Not that we had expected them to have the audacity to ask us to stop our search after not having heard from them in months…."

"So, we didn't miss much then, Sir?" Albert Reynolds asked, smirking. He and his men – and Hailey – had been stuck on P2X-887, or actually the underground base after using the ring transporter and unable to get back to the surface until Hailey fixed the damn device. In a way he figured they were lucky that there wasn't anything left in Anubis' old lab otherwise Hailey would've had a hard time focusing on getting them out.

"I guess not," Daniel replied when General Landry excused himself as the phone in his office rang. "It was just a bit of a disappointment for me," he admitted. "I'd been hoping they'd at least give us a lead."

"They might have, Doctor Jackson," Hank smirked after putting down the phone. "I've just been told that there has been an update on the Tok'ra network that mentions a gathering organized by Ba'al. The location is unsure with a few addresses mentioned and we just happened to have visited all of them already in the past two weeks."

"How can that be good?" Daniel asked, puzzled.

Raising an eyebrow, Teal'c recalled the details of many debriefings he had attended. "Did we not leave a mobile analytic laboratory probe on several inhabitable planets?"

"Of course," Jennifer Hailey spoke up, excited at the prospect. "We can dial the planets and get the videofeed from the MALPs!"

"Indeed," he inclined his head respectfully towards the young Tau'ri female.

Daniel frowned, thinking of all the planets they'd visited in the past few days. "Won't that take forever?"

"I was hoping Colonel Carter could make a program that would allow the computer to dial the mentioned planets on schedule, leaving the wormhole open long enough for the data retrieval before dialing the next planet," Hank elaborated, glancing at Lieutenant Hailey as he talked. "Do you think that's possible, Lieutenant?"

"Most likely, Sir," Jennifer replied cautiously, "but perhaps you should ask the Colonel herself."

"She's resting," Daniel said, objecting at the idea of some SFs knocking on Jack and Sam's suite waking her up. He and Teal'c had deliberately made sure they wouldn't be disturbed even though SG-3 had already returned ahead of schedule. Since Colonel Reynolds hadn't mentioned anything of real importance, they had figured it wasn't worth it to disturb Jack if he hadn't come out on his own after hearing the klaxons.

"And right now I have no intention of waking her, Dr. Jackson," Hank reassured him, smiling.

"Sir, with all due respect," Albert spoke up carefully, "I was under the impression that the Tok'ra may have suspected us tapping into their network… what if this is a trap?"

"That's why we're only retrieving the data from the MALPs before sending a team through," he replied.

"Indeed," Teal'c intoned, "the short amount of time the wormhole is open to retrieve the data would allow us to check all the planets in a minimum amount of time."

Daniel bobbed his head enthusiastically. "Yes, the technicians can check the data and the playback can be viewed if necessary without risking any of our teams."

"However," Hank said loudly, "I have to admit that I'm with Jack on this; I don't think the Tok'ra suspect anything but we can never be too careful, not after the hints they made. Let's start the debriefing, SG-3."

* * *

Jack yawned as he walked out of the bathroom, surprised to see Sam staring back at him. "Sleep well?"

She nodded sleepily, glancing at the alarm clock. "Four hours? You let me sleep for four hours?"

He cringed at her exclamation and held up his hands. "Hey, I only woke up half an hour ago. I figured you needed your sleep, after all it's been a while since you've been as active as you were in the park."

"I do feel rested," Sam grudgingly admitted, "but I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight now."

"We'll see," he shrugged as he padded over to the clean set of BDUs he'd laid out, toweling his hair dry. "You want to take a shower?"

"No, I'll take a bath tonight," she replied, already having showered after they came back from the 'Garden of the Gods.' Scooting over to the side, she got up from the bed and walked over to the bathroom. "I'll just brush my teeth and wash my face."

"Don't forget to brush your hair," Jack smirked, eyeing her tousled bed hair. Now that her hair was longer the effect of taking a long nap was clearly visible in the tangled locks. He liked it. Chuckling when she groaned something and slammed the door behind her, he quickly donned the clean clothes before putting on some socks and his boots.

By the time he was done lacing up his boots, Sam joined him again.

"Do you think SG-3 is back already?"

"I don't know," Jack shrugged, standing up. "If Reynolds got back ahead of schedule and no one came to get us, I take it it wasn't a successful mission."

She nodded in understanding as she buttoned up her shirt. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

Sighing, Sam plopped down on the bed, looking up at him standing in front of her. "Did we… discuss children when we got married?"

"Ah," he cleared his throat awkwardly, "why are you asking?" Of course he knew she was referring to the fact that she apparently  _had_  gotten pregnant, but he was wondering why she would bring this up now.

"Well, Daniel and I were talking over lunch and he mentioned baby names…." She let her voice trail off, her eyes darting around the room before she dared to look into his.

"Oh Sam," Jack murmured, leaning forwards to wrap her in his arms. Now he knew why she'd been upset and he wanted to kick Space Monkey's ass for it! "Is that what's been on your mind?"

"I didn't know," she mumbled, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

Pulling back slightly, he looked at her face. "What?"

"I didn't know if we'd discussed names or even having children together and I realized that we might never get the chance to name our baby!"

His heart almost broke at her sob and he tightened his arms around her, dipping his head in the crook of her neck. "Hush, we'll find our baby and in the meantime we can think of a name so that we can name him or her when we can finally take him in our arms," Jack tried to reassure her. Granted, this wasn't how he'd imagined them having a child or thinking of a name, but it could keep her hopes up until he found that God damned snake that held their kid somewhere. His own emotions were coming close to the surface too, remembering another time when he'd been thinking of a name for his firstborn. However, this wasn't about Charlie, this was about Sam and the baby they had made and lost together. The one they'd get back if he had to follow Ba'al to the end of the universe!

* * *

"Colonel Carter, I've run the last diagnostic on your new program," Walter said as he slowly turned around to face her.

Leaning over his shoulder, Sam viewed the results. "Excellent, just let me do this… and this… and then…" her hands flew over the keyboard. "Aha!" She exclaimed triumphantly. "It's done, the program is ready to be implemented."

"Great," he beamed, satisfied with the work they'd done together. Despite her recent trauma Colonel Carter was still the resident genius and Walter was just happy to see that despite losing some of her memory her genius was still intact.

"I'll go check with Generals Landry and O'Neill to see when they want the scheduled data retrieval," Sam replied as she got up and walked towards the spiral staircase. Jack had been holed up in the briefing room for the last three hours already, together with General Landry, Daniel, Teal'c and Colonel Reynolds. Every now and then a couple of scientists would join them to give their reports or updates and now it was her turn. She could already hear Jack's voice when she reached the top of the stairs.

"Carter!" Jack grinned when he saw her. "We were just having some coffee."

"You want a cup, Sam?" Daniel asked, already walking over to the coffee machine to fill a new cup.

"Done already, Colonel?" Hank asked, slightly surprised with the fast results.

She nodded, smiling her thanks to Daniel when he handed her a cup. "Yes Sir, the program is finished I just had to make sure when you wanted the updates."

Jack beckoned her over with one hand as he padded over to the white board still present in the room. "As you may have noticed, we've already sent four teams out to planets corresponding with the addresses on Teal'c's tablet and there are still a few more to go."

"Oh no," Sam shook her head, "I only got back from my lab twenty minutes ago to run a diagnostic with Walter."

"Well," Daniel padded over to the two of them as well and pointed at the schedule he drew earlier. "You can see here which planets are being visited by which team. So far we've only sent the teams to planets of which we already had data from previous recons there are still a few that have to be checked."

"I will return to Chulak with the remaining addresses," Teal'c informed her, "so that the Jaffa can use their ships to scout those close by. After informing my brothers on Chulak I will travel to Dakara to inform the rest of the High Council and will report back to inform you of our progress."

"There were a couple of planets that didn't have a gate address and we couldn't pinpoint their exact location either," Daniel mumbled, circling those he was referring to on the board. "Teal'c, could you check with the other Jaffa to see if they know any of the planets by these names? I'm pretty sure my translation was correct but I couldn't find any reference to these two," he knocked on the board, "and I'm assuming the others weren't on the Abydos cartouche or in the Ancient's database."

He inclined his head before rising. "Very well," he replied.

"Jack do you think you and Colonel Carter can work out a schedule for those data retrievals while I go over some paperwork?"

"Sure Hank," he gave him a sloppy salute as he watched his old friend disappear into his office. Jack certainly didn't miss  _that_  paperwork. Yes, he had lots of paperwork at HWS but nothing that involved toilet paper, potatoes or rations. "Daniel, I want you to do some research on those queens you mentioned earlier and T, while you're at it, ask the Jaffa if any of their former Lords ever had Tau'ri children around them like Ra used to and try to find out if we can find a lead to Ba'al that way."

"Okay Jack, I'll be in my lab," Daniel quickly grabbed his papers before making his way to the door.

"Reynolds, have you been checked out by the Doc?"

Albert nodded absentmindedly as he looked at the board. "Yes Sir, I was all cleared."

"Then go get some shut-eye, your team will be leaving in 30 hours and I want you all rested."

"Yes Sir," he replied before turning on his heels. If he were honest, he really was tired. Truth was that he couldn't even remember the last time he'd been asleep and that wasn't good!

Striding over to his comrades, Teal'c clasped O'Neill's arm. "I too shall take my leave and will contact you again in twenty-four hours."

"Don't be late," Jack retorted as he watched Teal'c go down the stairs. "Okay Sam, how long will this data retrieval take and where can we squeeze it in?"

Sam had already been studying the schedule on the board from the moment she'd stepped in the briefing room and raised her hand. "Well, if we sent out two more teams for these planets," she pointed at two addresses and glanced at their departure time, "in three hours and taking into account that SG-8, -12 and -22 have to return within the next six hours…."


	34. One Ba'al, Two Ba'als, Three Ba'als...

Jack was pacing the control room for the umpteenth time. He'd just come back from the briefing room, from another pointless debriefing that brought them no closer to finding anything that might lead them to Ba'al or the baby. For the hundredth time he wondered if perhaps he was being too optimistic hoping that Thor – or one of the other Asgard – would be able to help. Technically it had been seven days ago when they'd received his message so he could beam in here any minute now.  _Any minute now, Thor_ , he said to himself, glancing around the control room again.  _Now then?_ Another glance around told him nothing had moved except for him and Walter, who was examining the latest data that Sam's program had retrieved from the possible summit locations. A summit between whom was still unclear, only that Ba'al was involved which was good enough for him. Even if they'd run into those pesky Tok'ra.

"Ah Sir?" Walter cleared his throat loudly, trying to get the General's attention. Apparently, the man was deep in thought as he'd already called out twice. Normally that would surprise him, but he might not know all the details surrounding his and Colonel Carter's situation but he knew enough to know that General O'Neill had a right to be worried. "Sir, I think I have something here."

"What?" Jack snapped, coming up behind the technician's chair with two long strides. "What have you got, Walter?"

"These readings indicate that one of the stargates has been recently activated, Sir," he replied, pointing at his computer screen.

He skeptically raised an eyebrow. "How can you tell?"

Walter turned his head to look at the general over his shoulder. "Do you really want me to explain, Sir?" He asked innocently, having experienced firsthand – for  _many_  years – how much Jack O'Neill loved scientific explanations. "Or would it suffice to say that the program Colonel Carter made retrieves the data from all ten MALPs on those planets and sends them back to me, allowing me to compare the information the sensors have recorded at once? Sir."

"Fine," Jack muttered, he wasn't in the mood to hear Walter spout off some techno babble. Not when his wife was way hotter, way smarter and invented said program. Plus, he loved to listen to Carter's voice as she was excitingly explaining something in techno babble to him. "So, one of the gates has been activated recently. When?"

"Well," he recalled the logs, "according to these entries the last check was twelve hours ago, Sir."

"Which gate was it? Can you pull up the visual?"

Walter nodded as he pressed some keys and waited for the files to load. "It was P3R-112, Sir."

"SG-12 visited that one, said it was isolated and no signs of the clones they'd been trying to catch," Jack mumbled, more to himself than Walter. His head snapped up when the screen showed some trees, just right of the gate. "Can you fast forward?"

"Yes Sir," Walter replied. "The motion sensors indicated movement… now," he smiled as the screen froze and an arm was visible.

Narrowing his eyes, Jack squinted at the screen. "A bit gaudy," he mumbled, seeing the black and gold cape. "Slow motion, Walter." He ordered, having a gut feeling at who he was about to see. "Crap," he muttered when his suspicions were proven correct.

"Wait, Sir," Walter gasped when he heard the General stalk off. "There is… are more!"

"What?" he barked, turning around.

"There are two… Ba'als, Sir," he explained.

* * *

Daniel almost bumped into Sam when he rounded the corner. "Whoa, easy Sam."

"Sorry," she grimaced, rubbing her hand dry on her BDU pants as she steadied her cup of coffee in her other hand.

"Oh, did you spill coffee? Are you alright?" He asked worriedly, reaching for her hand.

She shrugged and held up her cup. "It's lukewarm, I'm fine."

"Okay," Daniel said a bit hesitant to take her word for it. "Are you on your way to the briefing room?"

"Yes, Jack called me from my room," Sam explained, suppressing a yawn. She instinctively knew that she always got up early but now that she was practically living underground her circadian rhythm was totally messed up. Jack, however, didn't seem to suffer much as she'd woken briefly when he slipped out of bed a little after 0500 hours, which was over an hour ago. Still, she was sleepy and in bed when he'd called her telling that she needed to get to the briefing room. "He didn't want to tell me what he'd found, saying I'd better get down here."

"Walter woke me up when he called to my quarters," Daniel complained, falling in step with her. "I'd only turned in a few hours ago."

Glancing to her side, she looked at him. "Have you found anything useful?"

"No," he shook his head, his eyes lingering on her coffee.

Oblivious to Daniel's longing look, Sam took the last sip from her cup. "Ah, I feel a bit more awake now," she mumbled when they reached the briefing room.

Daniel grimaced as he walked inside, the bright light hurting his eyes as he plopped down on his chair. "Good morning."

"Now that we're all here," Jack began, his eyes lingering on his wife, before he took in everyone in the briefing room, "let's begin. Walter?"

"Yes Sir," Walter nodded eagerly, his fingers flying over the keys on the laptop connected to the screen on the wall. "This morning I was checking the retrieved data from Colonel Carter's program," he smiled at the woman in question, "and I noticed an abnormality in the readings, suggesting that one of the gates had been activated in the last twelve hours."

"Which one?" Daniel piped up, completely focused on the readings visible on the screen.

"P3R-112," Jack answered. "The one with the trees."

Sam, oblivious to Daniel's eye roll, nodded seriously. "Was there a visual?"

"Yeah sure you betcha."

"Ah," Walter coughed, quickly pulling up the screen shots he'd made earlier. "We weren't able to see a lot but we did see-"

"Ba'al," Jack interrupted him, glaring at no one in particular.

"My Lord," Sam gasped simultaneously, pushing away from the table to walk up to the screen for a closer look.

Daniel grimaced, nodding slowly, not surprised that Sam had been a little shocked. "Ah yes, that's Ba'al, Sam."

"Excuse me, Carter?" Stunned, Jack stared at her while she was looking at screen intently. Unlike Daniel, he  _was_  surprised at her exclamation.

Sam frowned at the screen before turning to Jack and Daniel. "Lord Ba'al," she said slowly.

"Just 'Ba'al' will do," Jack snarled at her, angry at her reaction.

Gulping, Walter looked around the table. Colonel Dixon, Colonel Mitchell, Colonel Barnes and Doctor Jackson looked as uncomfortable and confused as he felt himself. An awkward silence fell as the general kept glaring at Colonel Carter, who had already turned back to take in the screen again. "Ah," he cleared his throat, wincing when the general fixated him with one of his glares. "There were two of them," he almost whispered.

"What?" Daniel asked, looking at the Chief Master Sergeant who kept throwing Jack furtive glances almost as if he was afraid Jack would bark at him next. "Two Ba'als? Jack?"

"Yeah Space Monkey," he sighed, dragging a hand through his hair, his eyes darting back to his wife – who's eyes were still glued to the screen – before he sat back down in his chair. "Walter spotted the second one about five minutes later."

"Sir, with all due respect," Cameron Mitchell spoke up as he squinted at the screen, "are we sure they're both… well, Ba'al? I mean-"

Jack glared at the man, again wondering why he'd included him in this briefing.  _Oh right, he's one of few who was actually on the base and rested enough for a new mission_. "Yes, Mitchell we're sure."

"But the second picture isn't that clear," Cameron protested, oblivious to the glares the other men threw at him. "I mean, yeah he has dark hair and the same posture but that doesn't mean that he's one of the clones. Sir."

"I'm  _sure_ ," Jack assured him, emphasizing the last word. Hell, he'd recognize that damned snake anywhere!

"I agree," Dave Dixon spoke up when he saw the new guy opening his mouth again. "It would make sense too if we are to believe the Tok'ra report."

Daniel bobbed his head as well, recognizing Ba'al as well. "Yeah, it would."

"It's him," Sam whispered, her eyes darting between the two pictures. She'd recognize that face anywhere; it was the same one that appeared in her nightmares. "I know it is."

Jack slowly walked over to her, his earlier anger making way for concern. "We know, c'mon, sit down," he guided her back to her chair and gently pushed her in it. "Right," he said a bit louder, addressing the others in the room. "SG-13 has already been to P3R-112, therefore Dixon will take his team over there and SG-6," he nodded at Barnes, "will provide backup-"

"Jack," Daniel interrupted him, "don't you think another team should go with them? I mean, we don't even know for sure how many Ba'als there are or will be on the planet. Let alone the Jaffa they took with them!"

"I know," he glared at him, "that is why Mitchell, Hailey, and you will be going as well."

"Oh," he replied, smiling sheepishly. "Who'll be in command?" He asked warily, not comfortable with the idea that Cameron Mitchell – as highest rank – would be leading this mission. The man was a rookie! He'd certainly proven that when he'd accompanied them to Anubis' lab and killed the alien, Khalek, who was in stasis there.

"I will," Jack smirked, pleased that he could still shock his friend. "Teal'c will meet up with us on the planet with several of his men, as reinforcement as well as offering the last of Ba'al's Jaffa freedom."

"You are," Daniel reiterated slowly. "Jack, I thought you weren't supposed to go off world anymore now that you're the director of HWS and-"

"Ack!" He held up a hand, interrupting him. "Don't worry about that, Space Monkey. Dixon, Barnes, I expect you to inform your men and be geared up in the gate room in one hour. Mitchell, get Hailey and meet me back here in twenty. Dismissed."

A chorus of "Yes Sir!" sounded as everyone filed out of the briefing room, with the exception of Daniel and Sam.

"Sam, are you okay?" Daniel asked cautiously. "Sam?"

She looked up, his voice bringing her out of her musings. "Ah yes, I'm fine," she gave him a wan smile.

Jack and Daniel exchanged glances, but unconvinced. "Right," Jack said slowly. "Daniel, why don't you and Walter check the control room to see if the Asgard have left us a message and if not, try contacting Thor. He should be in range by now if he's going to be here today. C'mon Sam, I'll walk you back to our room," he gently took hold of her elbow and pulled her up from her chair.

"Ah sure," Daniel mumbled, getting up and heading for the spiral staircase Walter had just descended.

Sam numbly followed Jack, once again she was deep in thought. It was strange to see Ba'al on that screen, to know that it was him who had abducted her. Of course she already knew that, as she saw his face almost every night in her nightmares and could hear his voice – sometimes normal, other times a bit metallic – but having it confirmed and being confronted with his casual image on the screen was… weird. She almost jumped when Jack squeezed her arm gently, startled.

"Sam?" Jack asked again. "I asked you if you wanted to go back to our room, get some breakfast or go to your lab," he repeated, pointing at the buttons in front of him.

It was only now that she realized they were already in the elevator. "Erm, I, ah…" Sam stammered, not sure where to go. She wasn't hungry, as a matter of fact she felt rather sick right now. The caffeine from her cup of coffee earlier had already kicked in so she wasn't very sleepy either. Was there anything she could do in her lab? Technically, she was still on medical leave and wasn't supposed to work – not even light duty – but her expertise had been needed these last few weeks and as long as she was working she could forget, retreat in her own world. But there wasn't anything left to do… "My lab," she said softly.

He nodded and pushed the button for level nineteen, knowing that she didn't have any work there but expecting her to go there any way. One sideway glance told him she was still thinking, obviously a bit upset about the briefing earlier. Maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to include her? But he'd wanted her to be there, knowing that, like him, she'd want to know if they made any progress. Now that Hank was still at home, Jack was in charge at the SGC – plus he was higher up the chain of command even if Hank had been a two-star a couple of years longer – and he'd decided to act quickly, calling the shots of this new mission. Even lead the mission himself as he was dying to get in on some of the action instead of staying Earth-side again to wait for the other guys to do their job. "Sam," he placed his hand on the small of her back and gently pushed her forward as the elevator doors slid open.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, eyes cast downward as they walked over to her lab. "I guess I hadn't expected that," she confessed.

Jack used his card to open the blast door in front of her lab and grabbed her hand as he led her inside. "That's okay, maybe I should've prepared you," he admitted, wrapping his arms around her.

Sam snuggled closer, enjoying his strong arms around her and the sense of security his embrace gave her. "I'm not sure if anything could've prepared me."

"Maybe," he tightened his arms as he rested his head in the crook of her neck. "So," he started, trying to think of something to change the subject, "how does that program of yours work?"

"What?" She frowned, leaning back to look at his – suspiciously innocent looking – face.

"I asked Walter but he didn't want to explain it to me," Jack replied petulantly.

Despite her mood, Sam smiled, shaking her head at him. "Do you really want me to explain, Jack?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, recalling how Walter had said almost the exact same thing in that same tone of voice. "Yes," he said slowly, grabbing her shoulders to steer her to her workbench and sat down on the other side himself.

"Okay," she grinned, suspecting he wasn't really interested but she'd explain. "The Stargate network is literally a network, which means that changes for a specific Stargate, like a change in coordinates, have to be relayed to other DHDs. Therefore, there are automatic correlative updates that occur periodically, about… every two hundred years or so, which means that gates dial each other automatically."

"Yes, I remember something like that," Jack nodded slowly, reminded of one of Felger's 'brilliant' ideas from a few years ago that Ba'al stole, adapted and used to knock out all the gates.

"Okay, good," she nodded, leaning on the workbench with her elbows. "My program basically triggers an internal protocol in the DHD of the dialed planet, while connecting to the MALP to retrieve any recorded data and then the wormhole shuts down. The DHD will connect to the other planets mentioned in the program and the program will link to the MALPs there to download the data."

"Okay," he drawled, fiddling with a pen. "But how does the data come back to us?"

Sam smiled at him, before snatching the pen from his hands. "The program has been set up so that the last planet will dial back to Earth and send the data to our computer."

"Like a computer virus?"

She shrugged noncommittally. "I guess that's one way of looking at it."

"And you're sure it's safe?" Jack asked, once again reminded of Felger's virus.

"Of course," Sam replied, slightly affronted. "It's heavily encrypted and will go practically unnoticed unless someone knows what to look for – which they don't. And even if they do, they won't be able to break down the code because you would need the program I've designed on my computer," she pointed at the computer next to her, "and it would have to be an Earth-made computer as that is the only way the program will work. It doesn't work on crystal-powered computer interfaces. I've done the coding myself and-"

"Okay, okay," he held up his hands in surrender before she got really pissed at him. He should know better after having worked with her for so many years, trusted her to save his life and the planet. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

"That's okay," she reassured him. "I can understand how you'd be a bit wary about this…."

"Ah crap," Jack exclaimed as he glanced at his watch. "I've got to go, my twenty minutes are up."

Sam nodded in understanding. "Be careful, Jack."

"Always," he promised her, leaning over the workbench to give her a quick kiss. "I need you to stay here in case the Asgard get here before I'm back. Hank will arrive in about an hour and until then Reynolds is in charge, but I'd rather have you talk to Thor as he knows you."

"But I don't know him," she grimaced, feeling a bit nervous at meeting yet another alien who she didn't remember.

"Don't worry about that," Jack made a dismissive wave with his hand. "Thor will probably beam you up to his ship to do a scan the minute you explain." At least, he was hoping that Thor would. Maybe the little guy could find out what had happened to her, perhaps even help her get her memory back! Sam had been remembering small things lately and sometimes stuff would come back to her if she did or saw something that triggered a memory, but her overall memories weren't back yet.

"Good luck," Sam mumbled, less convinced than he was.

* * *

"Ah trees," Jack murmured as he looked around and stepped away from the gate on P3R-112, waiting for the rest of his men to come through.

"Sir," Dave Dixon gestured to his right, "that's where the cloaked MALP is."

Jack nodded, glancing at the spot he indicated before looking over his shoulder. Everyone was accounted for. "Okay, Teal'c should be here any minute now," he mumbled. He'd made sure to get here five minutes in advance, knowing that the punctual Jaffa would be here right on time. "Once he and his men get here, I want you," he looked at Barnes, "and your men to guard the gate but do a perimeter sweep first. Dixon, you and your team are with me and Teal'c."

"Yes Sir," Ty Barnes affirmed, signaling his men to follow him as they checked the perimeter.

Dave looked at his own men to make sure they understood and they all gave him an almost imperceptible nod. "Yes Sir," he told the general, grinning. "We'll be happy to be your tour guide for today."

"Excellent," Jack quipped, before turning to 'his men.' "Hailey, I think I made it clear you're only here in case your scientific expertise is needed."

"Yes Sir," Jennifer Hailey nodded sharply. On the inside though, she was thrilled. Here she was, under the command of  _General O'Neill_  while they were off world! Of course, she'd been on a moon before with him and SG-1 when he was still a colonel, but this was different. She was now actually working at the SGC, although she still wasn't designated to a particular team. For some strange reason, though, she had realized she liked working with SG-3 – the marine unit! – and was hoping that she'd be loaned out to them more often until she got her 'own' team. For now, she was just happy to be part of this mission. Of course, the reason they were going on this mission – missing Baby O'Neill, who would've thought that General O'Neill and Colonel Carter would've gotten married! – was less pleasurable.

"Mitchell," Jack fixed the young, reckless lieutenant colonel with a glare, " _do not_  touch anything, understood?"

"No Sir! I mean, yes Sir!" Cameron saluted instantly.

Daniel hid his smirk behind his hand and looked innocently at Jack. "What are my special orders, Jack?"

"You don't touch anything either," he replied evenly. "And make sure not to kill all the Ba'als, I know your aim still isn't perfect."

"Ha ha, very funny," Daniel huffed, wondering if Jack would ever treat him  _normal_. Probably not.

"Hailey, same goes for you; no touching unless I tell you to, okay?"

"Yes Sir," she snapped a salute, trying not grin at the possible double entendre of his order.

Jack narrowed his eyes as he took in the latest additions of his 'team'. "And both of you, stop doing that; it'll give you a whiplash."

"Yes Sir," they chorused.

Daniel rolled his eyes and at the same time the chevrons of the gate lit up. "Incoming wormhole," he warned everyone, making sure to step to the side.

Jack gave one last cursory glance at the scenery, before looking at the kawoosh of the gate. He'd never tire of watching that, the color of the event horizon reminded him of Sam's eyes – and that thought always reminded him of the first time they'd met and he'd shoved her through the event horizon she'd been studying with childlike enthusiasm. "That better be Teal'c," he muttered, signaling for everyone to take cover.

Teal'c stepped through the gate, closely followed by Rak'nor, Aron and Adal. "O'Neill," he intoned, recognizing the small indentations left in the mud as Tau'ri military boots.

"Teal'c, buddy," Jack greeted as he stepped out from his cover and walked up to the Jaffa. "Campers," he nodded towards the three Jaffa he'd met some time in the last five years.

"O'Neill, it is good to see you again," Rak'nor inclined his head respectfully. "I had been informed that you had been… given a higher rank and would not be traveling amongst the stars anymore."

Jack shrugged casually. "Ah, what's one last jaunt through the old orifice, huh?"

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, grinning slightly. "Daniel Jackson, I am pleased to see you are accompanying us once again."

"Yeah," Daniel smiled at his friend and waved at the other Jaffa. "Too bad Sam couldn't join us…."

"Indeed, it would be like pleasant times long ago."

"Yep, the good old days," Jack confirmed, before grasping his radio. "Barnes, report."

There was a hint of static before the colonel was heard.  _"Perimeter secured, Sir. On our way back to the gate now."_

"Dixon was here last week, he and his men know the terrain," Jack informed Teal'c. "SG-6 will guard the gate."

"Very well," Teal'c said, silently greeting the other familiar members of Stargate Command with a nod of his head. "We must go this way."

Exchanging glances with the General, Dave nodded at the Jaffa. "That path leads to a cleared area, which would be perfect as a meeting place."

"You take point," Jack ordered, waiting for SG-6 to lead them to the clearing Dixon had mentioned. "Daniel, Mitchell you watch our six," he said as he fell in step with Teal'c and Aron, Adal trailing behind them next to Hailey and Rak'nor on the heels of SG-6.

After a few klicks, Dave held up his fist and jerked his head to the right. "Sir," he whispered.

Jack looked at Teal'c, who gave him an almost imperceptible nod as he signaled Rak'nor and Aron to go to the right and make sure there were no hidden enemies.

Both Jaffa nodded and stealthily made their way over.

"Get moving," Jack mouthed silently to Dixon.

Dave nodded and walked to the left, where he'd seen a rock wall the last time he was here. "Sir," he whispered as everyone took cover and pointed towards the clearing.

"Kind of a quiet spot for such a big meeting," Cameron remarked.

Jack and Daniel exchanged glances, rolling their eyes as if to say 'Ya think?' Instead, Jack poked the colonel in his side. "I think that's the idea."

"I'm not seeing a lot of movement," Daniel mentioned.

Slightly embarrassed, Cameron grabbed his binoculars. "I think I know why."

Grabbing his own monocular hanging around his neck, Jack nodded grimly. "Looks like somebody got here before us," he mumbled, getting up to go down there.

"Mmm, no wounds, no sign of combat," Teal'c remarked when they neared the Jaffa bodies strewn across the field.

"Symbiote poison?" Jack asked, annoyed.

"I believe so."

Jennifer glanced around the field, counting over forty bodies. "Why would the Ba'als kill their own Jaffa?"

"I don't think the Jaffa were the intended target," Daniel called out as he stepped inside a tent.

Cameron let out a low whistle as he peered inside. "Well, you gotta hand it to him. The man throws a mean dinner party."

Daniel grimaced as he looked at the dead Ba'als, all slumped around or on top of the table. "He knows we're coming after him. He's covering his tracks."

"Indeed," Teal'c intoned, raising an eyebrow when O'Neill kicked one of the bodies.

"Crap," Jack huffed, prodding a few more bodies with his boot. "They're all gone now," he walked away, shaking his head in disgust. This was not how he'd planned this mission to go down, dammit!

"Stand back, I'm warning you!" A Jaffa called out, pointing a zat.

"Just take it easy," Cameron urged the man.

Daniel glanced at the man. "We're not going to hurt you… much," he added, after Hailey shot her zat and the Jaffa fell down to the floor.

"I thought they were all dead?" Jennifer asked, stepping closer to the Jaffa she'd just zatted.

"Apparently not," Cameron smirked.

Teal'c walked over to the man and leaned down. "And I believe I know why," he said, holding up a tretonin syringe from the man's armband.

* * *

"Good to see you back safe and sound," Hank Landry piped up as everyone walked off the ramp. "Glad that I don't have to inform the President that the director of HWS played hooky and went off world, where he got himself kidnapped, tortured and or killed."

Jack snorted, shaking his head. "Please Hank, I've been doing this for seven years."

Hank smiled at his old friend. "So, what happened?"

"Symbiote poison," he replied. "But we've got a lead, there was one Jaffa, De'rek who's on tretonin, apparently he was a Fifth Column Operative in Ba'al's ranks… anyway, he told us what happened."

"He confirmed that Ba'al was behind the attack that killed his clones, probably all of them," Daniel explained. "Apparently, he had assembled them for what they thought was a meeting about the Tau'ri child…."

Hank's caterpillar-shaped eyebrows shot up and he dared a glance at Jack, who had a suspiciously blank expression on his face. "Okay, that confirms that Ba'al has Baby O'Neill and that the child is still alive."

"Possibly," Jack mumbled.

Ignoring Jack, Daniel continued. "Instead, the real Ba'al – or so we think – beamed in canisters of symbiote poison."

"Quite the door prize," Hank remarked.

"Yeah, whatever Ba'al's up to, he doesn't want any witnesses," Dave said, shaking his head.

"Lucky for us, he didn't know one of his Jaffa uses tretonin."

Hank nodded pensively. "Any idea where he is now?"

"Actually yes," Jack smirked, "De'rek provided us with the coordinates where Ba'al's ship is located."

"I was going to say that  _Odyssey_  is standing by," Hank sighed, "but I think I've got something better…."

Jack raised his eyebrows in a silent question, before letting his eyes dart around the gate room and up to the control room. "Where's Carter anyway?"

"She's with Thor, he arrived after I sent the extra troops to help you collect the bodies of Ba'al and the Jaffa. I take it Teal'c took the Jaffa back to Dakara?"

"Indeed," Jack quipped. "Is Thor in the briefing room or on his ship?"

"Ship," Hank replied. "But you're all going to have to go through the infirmary first. Thor said he'd contact us again in one hour… that is in forty minutes."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was partly an adaptation of the "Dominion" (10x19) transcript.


	35. The Hunt

"We're all done, Sir," Janet smiled as she stepped back.

Jack huffed and jumped up from the bed. "Took you long enough, Doc," he replied, narrowing his eyes at her patronizing smile. "Honestly, I don't see why we have to come here for a post-mission checkup  _before_  we join Thor on his ship. I mean, c'mon Janet, his ship can scan us within seconds and if there was something wrong – which wouldn't be the case since  _nothing_  happened on this  _boring_  mission – he could fix it with a snap of his fingers."

"I doubt Asgard can snap their fingers, Sir," she grinned. "But you're right; we're only doing this to harass you."

"I knew it," he groaned, dragging a hand through his hair.

"It has absolutely nothing to do with protocol," Janet continued as she placed her stethoscope back around her neck, "or the rules enforced upon the SGC – the infirmary – by Homeworld Security, Sir."

Jack grinned and re-buttoned his shirt. "So, I'm fine, right?"

"I thought you said nothing happened on your mission," she crossed her arms and glared at him. "Then why wouldn't you be fine, Sir?"

"Of for crying out loud," he whined, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

Janet rolled her eyes as she stepped aside to open the curtain. "Sorry Sir, you're good to go."

" _Thank_  you! By the way, Doc, have you heard that Thor beamed up Carter?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes Sir, I was there in the briefing room when he beamed down to ask about the problem… I explained everything about Sam's condition as well as I could and then they went to his ship for further scans."

"Excellent," Jack rubbed his hands together, hopeful that Thor could help in some way. "Did you tell him about the baby?"

"Yes General," Janet said soberly, her enthusiasm dissipating. "He was rather shocked and I'm not sure how much of it he understood… since, well they don't have babies."

He understood and gently squeezed the minute doctor's shoulder. "Well, I still have about fifteen minutes before he contacts us again and I would like to ask you something, Janet."

"Of course, Sir," Janet replied immediately, her eyebrows shooting up.

* * *

"Jaffa!" Ba'al barked, annoyed with their lack of initiative. "I am still waiting. What does a god have to do around here for someone to follow his orders?"

"I apologize, Lord Ba'al," Til'vak said quickly, kneeling in front of his master. "I shall activate the device immediately."

"Impudence," he muttered under his breath as he straightened his collar. "Is there any news about the summit?"

"Not yet, my Lord," he replied, inclining his head respectfully, not wanting to provoke a reprimand because his men had failed their god.

"Leave," Ba'al ordered, motioning with his hand before turning towards the visual communications device. "Ah, my dear Ba'alat," he smiled once the room was empty.

 _"My Lord Ba'al,_ " Ba'alat greeted. " _I had been awaiting your call._ "

He nodded in understanding, not about to disclose the shortcomings of his Jaffa. It really was a pity he had to kill so many of them on the planet. However, he did not have choice; the clones would have been suspicious if they had been told to leave their Jaffa behind. Perhaps he should have used Anubis' old beaming technology to get them aboard his ship while beaming in the canisters of symbiote poison. That would have alarmed the clones as they were essentially him. "How are things progressing?"

_"Very well, my love."_

"Excellent," he complimented her benevolently. "And the infant's results?"

Ba'alat smiled widely.  _"They appear very promising."_

"Even better," Ba'al smirked, glancing over his shoulder to ensure no one was eavesdropping. These days he couldn't be careful enough with those untrustworthy Jaffa, the Tau'ri pursuing him and those dreadful Tok'ra and Free Jaffa infiltrating his ranks.

_"How did the summit proceed?"_

"Very well," he told her smugly, "it was over in… a flash."

 _"That is music to my ears_ ," Ba'alat purred seductively _. "Have we heard from Vi'tak? The Jaffa commander,"_  she added as he appeared confused.

"Ah," Ba'al understood now. Did the woman not know how many Jaffa served him? He could not remember all their names and that was by choice; as long as they remembered he was their 'god.' "Nothing yet, my dear."

_"That is most unfortunate, my love."_

Watching his lovely Queen with her bright eyes, pouty lips and dark hair, he felt a flash of irritation well up. "Did my gift please you?"

 _"Indeed it did_ ," Ba'alat inclined her head gratefully.  _"Yet it is no permanent solution."_

"I am aware," he said slowly, agitated by the latest turn of events. "I had hoped my other present would suffice."

Ba'alat nodded grimly, her anger barely concealed.  _"As had I. There still is time_."

"Yes there is," he confirmed, slowly pacing his chambers. "It would have been such sweet revenge…"

_"As always, you are correct my Lord."_

Ba'al could almost imagine it; the same brightness in much lighter eyes, almost alabaster skin and gold hair.  _A shame really._  "Of course," he affirmed. "Ah, I am receiving a transmission from Vi'tak."

 _"Lord Ba'al,_ " Vi'tak bowed on the screen.

"My beloved Ba'alat is joining us," Ba'al informed the anguished looking man, motioning towards the communication device behind him.

_"Queen Ba'alat, it is an honor to see you again. We do not-"_

_"Kree Jaffa! Do not bother us with your trivial conversation and tell us the results."_

Ba'al smirked at his passionate Queen. Still, there was a hint of disappointment that his earlier plans had… not been completed as he had hoped. A god does not fail. "Yes, Vi'tak, what has happened on the planet?"

_"We have found a Tok'ra on the planet amongst the casualties before the Tau'ri and Free Jaffa used the chaapa'ai."_

"Did they see you?"

_"Of course not, my Lord!"_

_"What happened with those Fifth Column operatives_?" Ba'alat inquired, disdain gracing her features.

Vi'tak swallowed visibly and glanced to his side – off screen – before turning back. " _Two have been killed…"_

"And…?" Ba'al prompted, again irritated with the Jaffa's behavior. Perhaps it would be a better idea to use more Kull Warriors, at least they didn't think for themselves and just did what was expected from them.

" _One survived, apparently he was using the drug of the Free Jaffa instead of a symbiote… the Free Jaffa have taken him and the other casualties with them."_

 _"The Free Jaffa took them? What about the Tau'ri?_ " Ba'alat questioned, having expected the Tau'ri to take the casualties with them as they usually did.

"Jaffa?"

" _They took the other… yous, Sir."_

Ba'al smirked, exchanging a meaningful glance with his Queen. "Excellent, perhaps this is even better."

_"But my Lord… the Jaffa who survived could have given them the location of your ship!"_

"Indeed," he replied, nodding to the screen before turning it off. There was nothing else the man could tell him. "I will inform the others."

 _"Very well, my love,_ " Ba'alat retorted, smiling gently. " _When will I see you again?_ "

"Soon, very soon…" Ba'al said, before disconnecting. "Such a shame," he sighed, shaking his head slightly. Walking towards is bed, he raised a brow. "Don't you think, my sweet?"

Instead of an answer, though, Ataratah simply blinked blue eyes at him.

* * *

Jack whipped his head around when he found himself aboard the Asgard ship. "Thor, buddy? Carter?"

 _"O'Neill, we are in the medical bay,"_  Thor's voice sounded through the ship's intercom.

"Okay," he mumbled, quickly padding over to where he thought the medical bay was. "Daniel, Doc, are you coming?"

Daniel rolled his eyes at his impatience, knowing that Thor would have beamed them over earlier if he'd discovered something serious with Sam – or Sam would have insisted on doing that – and let out an exasperated sigh as he followed the older man in a more sedate pace.

"Yes Sir," Janet mumbled, falling in step with Daniel. She still wasn't sure if she was needed here, after all the Asgard had very advanced technology! But the general had asked her to accompany them in case they found the baby or if Sam would need her help with anything. She assumed she was here more for moral and emotional support than her medical expertise, but that was fine with her – she wanted to be here for her friends.

"Thor, there you are," Jack greeted the small alien when he rounded the corner and almost bumped into him as he was waiting for them at the entrance of the medical bay. "How's Carter doing?"

"Her situation remains the same – I have not yet attempted a course of action, O'Neill."

"Hi Thor," Daniel greeted as he passed the alien in search of his friend. "Sam! Look who we've brought with us!"

Janet nodded a greeting towards Thor, already having seen him less than an hour ago. "Hello Sam, I hope you don't me accompanying you guys?"

"Of course not," Sam smiled at her. If she were honest, she was slightly relieved; the SGC had contacted Thor to let them know about the coordinates they had learned and ever since she'd been nervous and jittery. "Jack!" She wasn't sure if she could expect her husband to join them, although she suspected he would insist – but General Landry had been pretty mad when he came in this morning and learned that the director of HWS had gone through the gate! It wouldn't have surprised her if the President had ordered Jack to stay behind, if necessary to restrain him. Not affter the man had been so insistent that Jack had to go back to work in DC and had actually ordered the two of them to attend the presidential event he had planned. Even though she was still recovering and hadn't been looking forward to such a social gathering with strangers or worse, people who knew her but she couldn't remember them!

"Hey Sam," he said softly, pressing a kiss on her crown when he reached the pod she was sitting in. "I figured you could use the Doc's company when we," he gestured between himself and Daniel, "are going to enter Ba'al's ship."

Sam simply nodded, still not resigned with the fact that she had to stay on the Asgard vessel instead of joining them. They'd argue about that later. According to Thor they would arrive at the coordinates on the outskirts of the galaxy in about thirty hours. "I appreciate that."

"As do I," Janet chimed in, smiling widely. Ever since P3X-666 she'd been hesitant to go off world, knowing what a close call that had been for her and she didn't want to die and leave Cassandra behind! Not after everything the young alien had already gone through on her home world. She did, however, go off world occasionally to offer medical assistance but she'd never been on an Asgard mothership before and she certinaly hadn't flown –  _is it still flying in space?_ – to the other side of the galaxy before! "Did your scans reveal anything of importance, Thor?"

Daniel snickered at her let's-get-down-to-business attitude but was just as interested in the Asgard's response. "Something that can help Sam?"

"I have confirmed your diagnosis, Doctor Fraiser," Thor replied. "However, I am unsure if I will be able to help Colonel Carter to retrieve her memories."

Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets, repressing the urge to wrap his wife in his arms – they'd agreed that during official business they would act as a general and a colonel, not husband and wife. No matter how hard this was for him… his eyes still found her, though and he could tell by her response – or lack thereof – that she and Thor had already discussed this. "You don't know what to do or don't know if you can do anything?"

Thor blinked at him, moving his head slightly to glance at Colonel Carter before he cocked his head. "Both O'Neill."

"Oh," Janet said, slightly surprised although she knew she shouldn't have expected the highly advanced alien ally to be able to fix everything!

"But that doesn't mean you can't help at all, right?" Daniel asked, slightly worried. "I mean, if you don't know whether you can do something or aren't sure  _how_  to do something…"

Thor nodded again. "Indeed, Colonel Carter has been scanned by my medical equipment and she and Doctor Fraiser have explained to me her symptoms. Her scans show that indeed something has been altered in her brain," he explained as he moved over to his console and conjured up the data.

Janet walked up to the holographic projection and pointed at the brain scan. "Right there."

"It's the hippocampus, isn't it?" Sam asked, walking up to her friend. She wasn't an MD and didn't have a PhD in biology, but she knew some basic structures and had done a bit of research lately – not that google could find anything resembling her case.

"Yes, as a matter of fact it's the entire medial temporal lobe," Janet replied, sticking her finger in the projection to circle the area she meant. "It includes the hippocampus and case studies have shown that one is able to form new procedural memories – like learning to play the cello – without it but they won't be able to remember the events during which it happened."

"But I can still learn new things," she objected. "I mean, I only knew these Goa'uld terms instead of the ones I've been using for years and I can still remember every awkward moment about that. And you said yourself that I seem to remember everything that has happened since I got back."

Thor padded over to them and gently padded Colonel Carter's hand. "This is what is puzzling me."

Janet nodded when she noticed something else as the brain was slowly turning around. "Yes, it is all very confusing as your prefrontal cortex seems perfectly normal. Ah, that's also involved in this," she added when Daniel and the general were giving her blank faces.

"Indeed Doctor Fraiser, but if you enhance this particular area of the brain," Thor did as he said, "there appears to be a slight abnormality."

Jack watched as the Asgard and Napoleon were mumbling to each other, pointing at and playing with the holographic projection. "So Thor, we're supposed to pick up some Free Jaffa on the way. Think you have some room to spare for a ship or two in the basement?"

Thor's head snapped up, his eyes momentarily blinking in confusion. "I have already set course for Dakara when you came aboard. We will arrive in less than two hours."

"Okay," he drawled. "Then how long will it take for us to get to Ba'al's ship?"

"The computer has estimated it will be 31 hours from now."

Daniel frowned, confused. "I thought the Asgard motherships could cross a galaxy within hours?"

"You are correct, Daniel Jackson. However, our speed will be inhibited by the Jaffa ha'taks and obstacles along the way."

"Obstacles? Like what, mine fields?"

"For example," he confirmed slowly. "Ba'al has chosen his location well; our long range scanners have indicated that there are Tobin space mines surrounding his location."

"Of course he did," Jack muttered a bit disgruntled.

"Ah well, at least we know where he is," Daniel said cheerfully.

Jack glared at him, wondering if he'd learned anything in the last decade. "Yeah, for now. He could be long gone by then. What if we go ahead without the Jaffa, we can rendezvous on location."

"No Jack, we can't," Daniel argued. "We don't know what other kind of defenses Ba'al has, after all he has succeeded Anubis who was a half-ascended being! Besides, we have an agreement with the Free Jaffa. If we back out on this now and leave them behind and Ba'al isn't there anymore… do you really think they'll help us next time?"

"Fine," he relented, dragging a hand through his hair in a frustrated manner.

Sam stood and grabbed his hand, not caring whether they were supposed to be working officially. They were all friends, right? "It's okay, Jack. We'll get there and if he and the baby are gone, we'll just find them again."

* * *

"I have conferred with the Asgard High Council and Freyr and Penegal have granted us permission to rendezvous with Commander Aegir of the Valhalla," Thor informed the humans and Jaffa aboard.

"Uhm, why?" Daniel asked, frowning before pushing up his glasses once again.

"Heimdall is aboard the Valhalla at this moment conducting research into cloning and our ancestry… he is one of our most knowledgeable scientists in this area and will try to help us understand what the last of the System Lords Ba'al has done to Colonel Carter."

"Okay, we can use all the help we can get," Janet confessed tiredly. She and Thor had been going over the much more precise scans of Sam's brain trying to come up with an answer since they'd left Earth and now they had picked up the Jaffa, had lunch and it was already mid-afternoon. "Does this mean a delay in our ETA?"

"Indeed," Thor admitted cautiously, "however, I am certain O'Neill and Colonel Carter will agree the benefits outweigh the five-hour delay."

"Indeed they will," Teal'c contributed. "O'Neill has taken Colonel Carter to their assigned quarters to sleep for a brief period of time."

Daniel stretched his long frame, trying to get the kinks out of his back. "Yeah," he sighed, "the past few days have been hard on her and she must be really nervous now."

"I'm nervous," Janet said, suppressing a yawn.

"Indeed," Teal'c intoned. "Daniel Jackson An'eke has informed me that he is aware of two planets that had once been kept secret by Ba'al."

"An'eke?" He questioned, racking his brain to try and remember who that was again. "He's one of Ba'al's Jaffa, right?"

Teal'c bowed his head respectfully. "Indeed, he has been captured during the Battle of Dakara after the Replicators had been defeated."

"But he's willingly giving you this information?" Janet questioned, frowning. "It could be a trap."

Rak'nor stepped forward, shaking his head. "It is not. He has joined our cause after we brought him to Dakara."

"He is unaware of the planets' designations or if there is a stargate present," Teal'c continued evenly, "he only knows the names."

Daniel nodded his head in understanding, wishing he had a cup of coffee to keep his mind sharp – maybe he should take a nap too. "So, what are the names?"

"I do not know."

"An'eke is aboard Aron's ha'tak," Rak'nor explained.

Thor moved from his console. "You may contact him as I will take my midday nourishment."

Teal'c stepped forward and moved the Asgard stones around with ease. "Tek'ma'te Aron," he intoned when the screen showed his friend.

 _"Chel hol, Teal'c_ ," Aron greeted, inclining his head respectfully.  _"Please do not inform me complications have arisen?"_

"They have not, my brother. However, I have told Daniel Jackson of An'eke."

Aron dipped his head in understanding.  _"Very well, I shall call upon him."_

Teal'c expressed his gratitude and a moment later he was laying eyes upon An'eke. "My brother, please tell Daniel Jackson of the Tau'ri what you have told us about Ba'al's worlds."

_"Of course! One of the planets is known as Tartarus and-"_

"Oh, we've been there already," Daniel said disappointedly. "What about the other one?"

_"I have only heard Ba'al speak of it twice and when his lo'taur mentioned it again he was severely punished."_

Janet rolled her eyes. "So, what's the name of the planet?"

 _"Kadesh_ ," he almost whispered, as if afraid Ba'al would strike him down for speaking the name aloud.

"Very well, you have done good," Teal'c said, indicating the conversation was over. He waited until Aron was back on the screen. "Thor has to meet with another Asgard ship in order to help Colonel Carter. I am sending you the changed route now."

Aron nodded as he received the information. "Tal'ma'te."

"So," Daniel drawled once the screen was turned off. "Now all we have to do is learn the coordinates of Kadesh if we don't find Ba'al and the baby."

Janet shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe the Asgard have heard of it."

* * *

"Jack, I thought you said we were going for a nap?" Sam asked as she sat down on the Asgard version of a bed.

"We are," came his response from the adjoining bathroom. "I'm just going to take a shower first. I'm not that tired yet, you get in bed already."

She rolled her eyes but had to admit that she was indeed feeling rather tired. "Fine," she relented, taking off her boots first and throwing them into a corner. She couldn't worry about tidying up now, not when a superior alien race didn't know what was wrong with her brain and was trying to figure it out right now.  _Hmm, this bed is rather comfy_ , Sam thought to herself as she leaned back.  _Very comfy_.

Tiredly, she started unbuttoning her shirt and threw it in the same corner. Her BDU pants were easy now that she was lying down and she shimmied out of them without any trouble. Knowing she didn't want to sleep in her clothes and have to wear them the next day, she took off her black tank top too. She'd already crawled under the covers when she decided to take off her uncomfortable bra too; she couldn't sleep with the thing on and Jack probably wouldn't even join her. He'd done that a lot lately, saying they needed a nap and eventually she was the only one in bed. Normally, she'd protest but she really was tired. Probably because her brain was going a mile a minute and she was worried and stressed.

The door opened and Jack walked inside, wearing his boxers and rubbing his hair dry with a towel. "Not asleep yet?"

"Almost," she mumbled, rolling onto her side facing the wall. It wasn't until she felt the mattress dip that she realized he  _was_  joining her for their… nap!


	36. Traveling Among the Stars

"Daniel, is something wrong?" Janet asked when she was finally able to break her gaze from the hyperspace window.

He shrugged, cradling his cup of coffee in his hands. "I was just thinking about the baby," he explained, finding her eyes. "We don't know much about Ba'al other than the few times we ran into him… I mean, I had never expected him to abduct Sam let alone let her go and keep the baby. What on Earth would a Goa'uld want with a  _baby_? They're not the most patient race we know."

"I know," she sighed, placing her elbow on the table to let her head rest on her hand. "But Ra had children around too, right?"

"Yeah," Daniel grimaced, "but he apparently used them as a human shield."

"Oh," Janet gasped in horror. "How could anyone do that?"

He shrugged again, even after all these years incapable of understanding the Goa'uld. "He  _was_  a Goa'uld and to them the children were slaves. Children of their lo'taurs, slaves. Possibly raised for true loyalty and backup hosts."

"Do you… do you think that's what Ba'al wants with the baby?" She asked cautiously, uncomfortable with the ideas that his words had conjured.

"Honestly? I have no idea," Daniel admitted, ducking his head. "I wish I knew more… for all we know he has lots of children on his planets, although with his personality I doubt it."

"Me too," Janet agreed, having heard stories about the Goa'uld over the years and knowing what he'd done to the then-Colonel O'Neill a few years ago.

A silence fell upon the two friends, as both stared into their coffee cups, lost in thought. Janet and Thor had decided to take a break before they would meet up with Heimdall and Daniel was preparing himself to hit the books and the database on his laptop to try and learn more about Ba'al and the planet An'eke had mentioned, Kadesh.

Daniel was the first to break the silence as he stretched to get up. "Janet? What if we do find Ba'al or a bunch of children… how will we know which one is Sam and Jack's?"

"Ah, well, I don't know," she stammered a bit, taken aback by his question. "Research has shown that 90 percent of mothers who have been exposed to their newborn babies for just 10 to 60 minutes after birth were able to identify by smell alone which of several undershirts had been worn by their own babies. And breast-fed babies as young as six days old apparently turn their heads reliably towards cotton pads that their own mothers had worn against their breasts, when given a choice between those and identical looking pads that had been worn by other lactating women," Janet offered.

"That is of course assuming she had any contact with the baby," he grudgingly argued.

She nodded pensively. "Yes, that is true, but I think she has fed the baby at least once after delivery. I doubt Ba'al would let the child cry incessantly or take it away immediately–"

"Yeah, he'd probably enjoy tormenting Sam by tearing the baby away after a few moments," Daniel huffed, getting angry.

"That too," Janet admitted, "but also because of the state in which we found Sam. There was no sign of a recent delivery… well, not until she lactated."

Daniel finally stood, his palms flat on the tabletop. "Let's just hope that we find the baby on the ship."

"Yeah," she bobbed her head, her own mind screaming in agreement. "Oh and Daniel?" Janet remarked when he was about to walk away.

"Janet?"

"The Asgard are probably able to do a DNA test," she replied, shaking her head in disbelief that she hadn't thought of that sooner. "Even if they can't, we can still do one when we get back."

"Of course," he groaned, again reminding himself that he was aboard the ship of a technologically advanced alien race. It had become almost normal for him to travel around the stars that he sometimes forgot. "Well, I'd better hit the books and see if I can find something important. At least before Jack and Sam get back from their nap."

"Good luck."

* * *

Jack shifted somewhat uncomfortable underneath the covers, trying to will himself asleep as his fingers kept caressing Sam's side, from his to ribcage and back. He'd felt a bit tired after his early mission this morning and not a lot of sleep last night, but the moment he'd slipped in the bed, spooned behind his wife and realized that she was only wearing  _panties_  he'd felt wide awake! Her skin was soft under his fingertips and he couldn't help himself, he just had to touch it. He was a little surprised that she had hardly reacted when he crawled in, she'd only stiffened when he pulled her against him but hadn't tried to get away, didn't say anything and had slowly relaxed when he'd let go of her waist.

"Jack?"

"Ssh," he hushed softly, pressing a kiss on her bare shoulder. "Get some sleep."

She laughed, her voice slightly hoarse. How could she fall asleep when she could feel his chest – his  _bare_  chest – against her back, his heat warming her colder skin and his fingers lazily drawing invisible patterns on her side? Honestly, she had  _tried_  but his touch was too distracting. At first, she'd tried to blame it on the fact she was in an unfamiliar bed, on a  _spaceship_ nonetheless but as she tried to ignore his fingers and breath hitting the back of her neck, her own breathing had refused to even out. Instead, her breathing had slowly become more erratic and, embarrassed, she'd practically turned her face into her pillow so that Jack wouldn't notice. Biting her lip, she once more called upon her restraint but soon realized it was of no use.

Jack's fingers halted, hovering over her skin as she wrapped her arms around her chest and before he could do or say anything, she rolled over and looked at him with her dazzling blue eyes. "What?" He asked, seeing the corners of her mouth curl upwards while she was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Reaching out his hand, he brushed her bangs back. "Sam?"

Looking down for a moment, Sam made sure to keep her modesty with her left arm covering most of her breasts and grasped his hovering hand with her right one. She let out a nervous giggle as she released her lip and looked up at him from under her lashes. "Jack," she whispered his name and leaned forward.

He forced himself to keep focusing on her face, her sparkling eyes instead of lowering his eyes down her delicious body. "Yeah?" He replied in the same tone but was unable to say more when her lips touched his. Gasping at the touch of her sweet lips against his, he was about to protest because he didn't want to force her, nor did he want her to do this to forget about her worries for a moment. However, as he opened his mouth, her tongue found its way in and before he could stop himself he was kissing her back, relishing in her taste. Her hand pushed against his chest, while the other was still entwined with his and soon he found himself on his back, with her sprawled on top of him. "Sam," he moaned as their bodies touched, her breasts pressed against his chest, her hardened nipples teasing him, her silky back under his right hand.

"No talking," she mumbled between kisses, breathing in some oxygen before closing her mouth over his again. Her hand sneaked up his neck, teasingly scraping her nails over the tanned column until she reached his jaw and traced it with feathery touches. His skin still smooth from shaving this morning but rougher than her own, a sweet contrast. Then she trailed back and wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, still holding onto his hand with her right hand, pulled his face closer to hers as her tongue traced his gums, teeth and explored the rest of his mouth.

Jack groaned when his tongue found hers again, her taste so unique and familiar, yet still surprising and arousing to him. His hand slid down her back until he reached her panties and slipped his hand under the waistband to cup her rear and push her closer against him as he moved his own hips. His eyes closed and his ears, mouth and skin only aware of her, all his other senses completely focused on her labored breathing, her moans, her taste, her feel… yet he needed more. With reluctance, he released her hand to cup the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her long locks.

Shifting her weight, Sam moved to cover his body with hers and broke away from their passionate kiss. Slowly she sat up, his arousal pressing against her ass and looked down at him as she licked her lips slowly. "We've waited long enough," she panted slightly, her chest heaving from excitement and adrenaline. "No more interruptions, Jack."

He narrowed her eyes holding her gaze as his hands blindly found her hips to rest on. The covers had fallen off, rumpled at the foot of the bed and there she sat, his wife, on top of him, in her naked glory. Finally allowing himself to look further, he let his eyes wander over her body. Her dog tags snugly in place between her full and firm breasts with their rosy nipples swaying slightly with her breathing, her ribs still protruding more than usual, her taut stomach, hipbones sticking out a bit… still beautiful, though. "Are you sure?"

Sam grinned saucily at his hoarse tone, nodding her head as she let her hands wander over his chests. Scraping her nails over his small nipples, rolling the chain of his dog tags over his skin she moved her hips, grinding against him. "Positive," she murmured leaning down to capture his mouth again.

No longer able – nor willing – to resist her, Jack nodded minutely and reached up to meet her mouth. He immediately thrust his tongue inside, his hands moving up her side, over her back, tracing her spine before cupping her breasts. "You're beautiful," he whispered against her lips, breaking the kiss to nuzzle her ear and neck. His hips bucked as she moved lower down his body, his erection suddenly pressing against the damp crotch of her panties. "God Sam," he growled, his hands sliding down to grab her hips as he ground against her, the friction heavenly and yet torturing.

"Want you," she replied, kissing his chest, her tongue darting out to play with his nipples. She sucked one into her mouth before moving to the other, making him writhe under her. Alternatively, she licked and nipped his skin, nuzzling the small amount of chest hair and playing with his dog tags.

He grasped her hair, pulling slightly to force her to look at him. "I want you too," he said passionately as he tugged more, waiting for her to sit up. When she did, he did too and captured one of her nipples in his mouth. He knew he had to be careful because he  _so_  did not want to ruin the moment by making her lactate again – not that he minded, but he knew she'd freak out again.

Throwing her head back, Sam moaned loudly, her hips uncontrollably and unabashedly grinding against him. His hot mouth around her aching nipple and his hand kneading her other breast was almost too much. "Jack," she gasped, desire shooting through her veins and she felt herself grow wetter. "More," she ordered as she held his face against her breast and arched her back with pleasure.

Reluctantly, Jack let go of her nipple, nuzzling the silky breast and pressing kisses on the valley between both breasts. Licking around the ball chain, the metal providing a distinct yet pleasurable contrast with the sweetness of her skin he made his way to her other nipple, intent on giving it the same treatment before it got too much for her. Her skin was warm to the touch, the alabaster flushed beautifully with her arousal and it only turned him on even more so he closed his eyes again. Her soft little whimpers and moans made him push himself even harder against her core, annoyed with the barrier of clothing. "Take them off," he growled around her wet nipple as he pulled on the flimsy cerulean panties with one hand, the other occupied with her breast.

"Jack," tugging on his hair, she pulled back from his hot mouth too, the cool air hitting her wet skin sending another jolt of arousal through her body. Lowering her chin and opening her eyes, she locked onto his dark, passion-filled ones. His grin was almost feral and the longing and desire on his face reflected her own as she placed both hands on his chest and pushed him back down on the mattress. One last time scraping his nipples with her nails, before soothing them with her lips and tongue as she leaned forward, she slowly made her way down his body. Never breaking contact with his boxer-clad arousal she rubbed herself against him, then straddled his thighs as he pressed into her lower belly until he was practically throbbing between her breasts, her dog tags and chain teasingly moving over his erection as she nipped at his stomach with her teeth.

"For crying out loud," he moaned, feeling like he was about to explode when she giggled and her breath hit him through the fabric. Bucking, he slid his hands through her hair and tugged on it until she looked at him. "Take them off, Carter!"

Lifting herself, she snapped a quick salute – smirking when she saw his eyes darken with arousal as her breasts swayed with the movement – and grabbed the waistband. "Yes Sir," she replied saucily, pulling them down his legs and throwing them on the floor before shimmying out of her own panties. Pouncing on him, Sam grabbed his hips to continue her interrupted journey down his body, nuzzling the dark and silvery trail down his stomach.

Jack breathed in deeply, calling upon his self-control as she slowly starting kissing around his arousal, her silky long locks hanging around her face and caressing his straining cock whenever she moved her head. "Fuck," he muttered, the tantalizing feeling of the soft blond hairs almost too much. His hands came up of their own volition, tangling with those locks to stop the torment before he'd blow and it would all be over. "Sam," he gasped when her wet mouth kissed her way up the base of his erection, her breath and moans sending thrills through his body, forcing himself to push his hips deeper into the mattress before he'd buck in her face.

Enjoying the taste and scent of him, Sam softly hummed as she kissed, nipped and licked his erection until she reached the weeping head and swirled her tongue around it. She almost yelped when Jack pulled harshly on her hair, her head snapping up to glare at him.

"Too much," he groaned, his breath labored from exertion. It had been too long,  _way_  too long since they'd made love and he couldn't even remember the last time he'd been buried inside of her. Jack knew it was the last time they were together before she'd gone missing but the exact details were vague, because you never think it's going to be the last time in that moment. Before she could say anything, he leaned up on one elbow and pulled her up by the arm. "I want you, God, I  _need_ you," he whispered against her mouth as their foreheads rested against each other.

Sam slid her hand down her own body before grasping him and, lifting up slightly, guided him inside of her. "Now," she moaned as the head pushed in, stretching her so exquisitely it was almost painful.

Jack let out a breath of relief, which soon turned into a groan as he grabbed her hips and pulled her down. Despite the few orgasms he'd given her in the last couple of weeks, she'd hardly been penetrated, her muscles tight and squeezing around him deliciously, which it only made it harder for him to do this slowly. Not just pull her down as he pushed up his hips, no matter how much he wanted it. "God," he hissed as he slid in further, her warmth encompassing him and her inner muscles fluttering around him.

Placing both hands on his chest, she pushed down for the last few inches, whimpering as she took him in entirely. "Oh," she moaned slowly, allowing herself time to adjust while the woman inside of her urged her to  _move_. Her legs started quivering, with anticipation or from the strain, she didn't know. All she was aware of was  _him_ , inside of her, filling her.

"Okay?" He asked worriedly, brushing her bangs out of her face as he forced himself to stay still.

"Feels… so good," she replied softly, throwing her head back as she started moving, riding him until she couldn't take it anymore.

Picking up the pace as droplets of sweat made their way down his shoulders, Jack started thrusting harder, his hands on her hips helping her keep up with him. He recognized her soft whimpering and that cute little frown that formed on her face as she scrunched up nose, her moaning getting louder and louder as he slid his hand down and opened her for his eyes. He'd never tire of that image, watching her slide up and down his cock, her legs trembling from exertion and her clit peeking out from under its hood. Tearing his gaze away to look at her face, his fingers found the little bundle of nerves and caressed it. Gently at first and then a bit rougher as she started moving wilder, twisting her hips as she moved down on him, her luscious breasts bouncing with her movements. Her lips moving but no sound other than sweet little moans came from them until he pressed down hard and she flew apart, screaming. Her release shocked him to the core as she came hard, her muscles clamping down on him until he too came hard, groaning her name as he emptied himself inside of her.

"Oh, wow," Sam said, trying to catch her breath. "That was… wow."

"Amazing," he grinned, pulling her down for a kiss. "C'mere," he whispered against her lips, rolling them to the side as he pulled the covers up with his foot and drew them up around her shoulders. "God, I love you," he murmured in her ear, before nuzzling her neck, breathing  _her_  in as his hands once again resumed their caressing of her side, her skin sweaty and damp. "Get some sleep, Samantha."

* * *

"My Lord, our scanners are indicating ships nearing our position," Til'vak reported curtly.

Ba'al looked up from his musings and shot him a glare. "Well, what are you waiting for? Contact them," he barked, once again wondering how much longer it would take for his First Prime to return from his quest. At least he was somewhat competent.

"Immediately," he replied, bowing his head in respect before using the console in front of him.

"What is taking so long?" Ba'al asked impatiently, one eyebrow arched as he looked down on the Jaffa present from his chair. The screen sprang to life, showing a tanned Jaffa with a gold tattoo he recognized immediately; a star within a circle, the eight points representing the movements of the planet Venus. "Jaffa," he said smoothly, smirking at the screen as he made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "You too," he added when his own Jaffa left the room but the First Prime on the screen remained. "Let me speak to your goddess, Jaffa kree."

 _"Of course, my Lord_ ," he replied, making a respectful yet quick bow as he stepped aside.

"My love," Ba'al greeted the attractive female, her green eyes sparkling at him.

Astarte smiled seductively at him. " _My Lord,_ " she purred, batting her eyelashes.

He smirked at her. "I had not yet expected you."

 _"I am aware_ ," she replied, absentmindedly playing with the amulet around her neck.  _"Our meeting was not until two more days_ ," she continued,  _"however, I wished to be informed of our progress."_

"You were to contact Ba'alat," he chided her, "and remain on Kadesh until you were called upon to meet me here on my ship."

Widening her eyes, she looked innocently at him.  _"I have not yet crossed the altered mine field, therefore, I cannot visit your ha'tak."_

He growled in response, glaring at her. "Yet you disregarded our agreement, Astarte," Ba'al said in the same tone.

 _"Ba'alat did not hear my calls_ ," she stated petulantly as she crossed her arms, pouting.  _"She is rejecting my attempts and thus forcing me to contact you, my love."_

Ba'al narrowed his eyes at the screen, irritated with this behavior from both females. "Very well, I will allow you safe passage, but only your ha'tak. And leave your Jaffa behind, I do not need more incompetent fools."

 _"Unlike some, my Jaffa are not incompetent_ ," Astarte replied haughtily.  _"They are trained well and do not carry the pathetic offspring of Ba'alat."_

"Silence woman, before I change my mind," he retorted as his hands were working the console.

 _"You would not_ ," she said confidently.  _"You would not dare to betray me, my love. You need me."_

Raising his brow, Ba'al looked at the screen. "You always did stand out with your smugness and arrogance, even among our own kind."

_"Is that not why you love me?"_

"Of course," he replied absentmindedly as he cleared a path in the minefield for her mothership. "You know I adore you, my queen."

 _"As you should_ ," she said sweetly.  _"Now, can I pass the field?"_

Sitting back in his throne, Ba'al smirked at the screen. "You can, dear Astarte. Trust me," he added, winking when she glared.

 _"Implicitly_ ," she answered automatically before the connection was severed.

He laughed at her retort and called in his Jaffa. "You," he pointed at one, "restore the field once the ship has passed. Do  _not_  kill my queen."

"I would never dare to do so, my Lord," Til'vak replied hastily. "Unless, of course, you want me to."

"I do not," Ba'al snapped as he turned around, his cape swishing with the movement. "Hasshak," he muttered under his breath as he left the peltac. "You, come with me," he waved towards two Jaffa in the corridor, "the rest remain here." They nodded sharply and then he made his way over to meet his lovely queen. He waited near the ring transport, his incompetent Jaffa aiming their zat'nik'tels and staff weapons at the center of the room. The rings activated and this time he stood face to face with his queen. "Welcome my love," he greeted her, waving at his Jaffa to lower their weapons and leave them.

"My Lord," Astarte replied, inclining her head.

Stepping towards her, Ba'al leaned forward and kissed her, his mouth unerringly finding hers despite the hood still covering most of her face. "Follow me."

"Always, my dear," she said coyly, not yet uncovering her face until they were in private. "To your private chambers?"

"Of course," he smirked over his shoulder, leading the way.

Knowing he couldn't see her, Astarte rolled her eyes but meekly followed. "We have business to discuss first."

"Do we, now?"

"Yes, my love," she replied. "I wish to be informed of the progress of our research and quests as well as an update on the child."

"All work and no play makes Astarte a dull queen," Ba'al quipped suggestively.

Following him inside the chambers, she made sure the door closed behind them before untying her cloak and let it fall down. A lo'taur immediately sprang forward to catch it. "Leave us," she ordered at the three present. Shaking her mahogany curls free, Astarte raised a brow at him. "You have been spending too much time on the Tau'ri planet."

"Perhaps," he grinned, sitting down on a sofa. "But those humans are so… entertaining. They make good furniture too," he added, padding the comfortable sofa.

"It is your reputation," she countered as she sat down.

"It has been too long," Ba'al said, turning serious as he grasped her cheek and leaned in.

"Business first," she held her fingers against his mouth. "Ba'alat is undermining my authority-"

Sighing, he fell back in the couch and straightened his cape. "She does not," he interrupted her, already exasperated.

"-and you do too," Astarte continued.

"I do not," he snarled at her.

Ignoring his outburst, she turned and gestured around. "You do not allow me free access to your ships or your Jaffa, Ba'alat denies me access to the research and-"

"Yes, you are not allowed to roam free," he interrupted her again, smirking. "You have to remain hidden, unless you want to be a target for the Tok'ra, the Tau'ri or those shol'vas."

"The Free Jaffa?" She asked.

"Indeed and do not gloat, it does not become you."

She laughed, throwing her head back before rising. "I have reason to gloat; none of my Jaffa has ever betrayed me, they are loyal and unlike yours, competent," she winked at him, before lowering her voice. "They do not even know the meaning of the word 'shol'va.' Moreover, gloating does suit me. It gives me a certain… je ne sais quoi."

Ba'al snorted, stood and bowed sarcastically. "Of course, my queen."

"You dare mock me?" She asked, glaring.

"There," he smirked, cupping her cheek. "You are beautiful when you glare or glower."

Slapping his hand away, Astarte stepped towards his private console. "I am always beautiful. Now, shall we contact Ba'alat, my Lord?"


	37. En Route

"But you have never heard of a planet called Kadesh, right?" Daniel asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

Teal'c shook his head minutely. "Indeed, I have not."

Letting out a deep sigh, he looked at his friend. "To be honest, I don't know where to start," he confessed, gesturing towards the books and laptop he'd brought aboard.

"There is not a reference to a place called Kadesh in your literature?"

"Actually, there is," Daniel shrugged, before reaching over the pile of books to reach his notes. "It was an Ancient city of the Levant and is best known as the location of one of the best documented battles of the ancient world, the Battle of Kadesh. It took place during the thirteenth century before Christ."

Raising his brow, Teal'c slowly sat down on one of the chairs. "A battle between whom?"

"The Egyptian and Hittite Empires," he replied automatically.

"The Goa'uld?"

Daniel nodded as he tapped his notebook. "It was probably the largest chariot battle ever fought, with several thousands of chariots. Of course, that probably weren't the horse drawn carriages humanity has always assumed. Eventually a peace agreement was drawn up, which is thought to be the earliest example of any written international agreement of any kind. Anyway, a lot of pharaohs were involved in this battle but none that look familiar with the exception of Ra and Seth. They're both dead so…"

"I see," Teal'c intoned pensively.

"Of course, the Egyptians identified Seth as Ba'al!" He exclaimed when a thought struck him. "I assumed that was incorrect considering our previous encounter with both, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it wasn't Ba'al that was meant here. Seth, after all, was associated with the foreign, Semitic goddesses Anat and Astarte."

"Did you not mention that Anat was considered Ra's daughter, Daniel Jackson?"

"At Zoan, yes," Daniel replied as he glanced at his notes. "And together with Astarte the consort of Seth. But in Ugaritic texts Anat is the daughter of El, sister and consort of Ba'al. A role she shares with Astarte, their other sister. Teal'c, this could mean that An'eke was right! Kadesh could be one of Ba'al's planets and yet we – nor the Tok'ra – have ever heard of it! I looked into the subspace network and there is no mention of a planet named Kadesh."

"Indeed, this sounds most promising."

"Why?" Janet asked from her position in the doorway. She'd been about to enter the room when Daniel seemed to have an epiphany and – instead of interrupting – had decided to hear him out before greeting them. "It could still be a planet that belonged to Ra or Seth, since they were both Goa'uld too."

"True," Daniel admitted, his shoulders sagging. "Teal'c what would have happened with Seth's territory if he never left Earth or was banned by the System Lords?"

Cocking his head, Teal'c thought for a minute. "Neighboring Goa'uld would most likely claim his planets as their own."

"Maybe the System Lords divided his territory over themselves or minor lords," Janet suggested as she joined them at the table.

"One planet could have easily been forgotten," Daniel offered, unsure. "Or maybe Ra claimed all his planets and after his death, Apophis took it over. Either way, eventually it would have landed in Ba'al's hands once the System Lords fell."

"Okay," she nodded, agreeing. "How does that help us? It still doesn't bring us any closer of learning the location of the planet."

"Maybe we don't need to," he replied a little hopeful. "If Ba'al and the baby are still aboard the ship there is no need to find the planet."

Teal'c inclined his head and rose from his seat. "Then the Free Jaffa will continue the search in the hopes of finding Ba'al's mate."

Daniel frowned, thinking for a moment. "It could be that he is hiding her there, since no one really knows who his mate is. Or is Queen," he added pensively. "I mean, he apparently had more Jaffa than we had expected by the looks of the casualties on P3R-112 and he would need a Queen to spawn him symbiotes, right?"

"Indeed, his Jaffa would require a prim'ta as they do not have access to tretonin."

"With the exception of that De'rek,'' Janet mentioned softly.

"But he was a Fifth Column operative," Daniel argued, "undercover in Ba'al's ranks."

Nodding slowly, she processed this information. "Where could one find a Queen to spawn symbiotes?"

"Well, Egeria was placed in a stasis jar on Pangar after being exiled by Ra and Hathor," Daniel cringed as he mentioned the name, "was locked in her sarcophagus on Earth. Isis was referred to as mother-goddess so she probably was a Queen too."

"But they are all dead, surely there must be more of these Queens? How else could the Goa'uld have sustained their Jaffa population for so long? If they had been the last Queens symbiotes would have been scarce," she countered. "I doubt they would have eaten symbiotes at the summit you attended," she glanced at Daniel, referring to his mission with Jacob years earlier, "if there wouldn't be any queens left to provide them with new ones."

"An old tale tells of a place where the children of the gods come from," Teal'c spoke confidently, recalling from memory what he had learned in the decades of serving Apophis as his First Prime. "It is said the System Lords have trained an elite command force to protect the mothers who have been secreted away."

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck as he listened to Teal'c's explanation. "Well, that makes sense. If the System Lords are the only ones who know where the Queens are they have all the power because they distribute the larvae to the other Goa'uld. Of course they would have to be protected before someone finds them and suddenly has a private Queen, their own source of unlimited larval Goa'uld. It would shift the balance of power."

"And now Ba'al is the only System Lord who is still alive," Janet added soberly. "So he would be the only one who has access to the Queens… I doubt the System Lords would train Jaffa, who are dependent upon the prim'tas themselves to protect them, especially after the rebellion. It would most likely be a different race who for some reason are loyal to the Goa'uld, either by choice or free will. Ba'al would still have the power to send them away or simply take them out as he would know their weaknesses."

"Perhaps Kadesh is where he has hidden the Queens," Teal'c suggested with a hint of interest. If he and his fellow Jaffa would be able to terminate the Queens, the Goa'uld would be exterminated once and for all. They themselves had tretonin as an alternative and this way the Jaffa would truly be free.

Janet grimaced slightly. "Call me cynical, but I doubt even Ba'al would keep the Queens on the same planet."

"Good point," Daniel conceded, sighing. "Then again, with the shift of the power balance all the ranks of the Goa'uld have been attacked ferociously, by Jaffa as well as other races; there's a good chance many Queens have already been killed, either by accident or on purpose. Hopefully, Ba'al only has one."

"Indeed."

* * *

Jack casually strolled through the corridors on the Asgard ship, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he whistled the tune of  _The Simpsons_. He'd just visited Thor, who had been discussing the brain scans of Sam again with Doc Fraiser and was able to confirm that Sam had indeed given birth after examining the other medical scans, but they already knew that. Other than that, the gray little alien hadn't been able to shed more light on her condition and was hoping Heimdall could tell them more. It would be a few more hours until they would reach the rendezvous point and then twenty-five more hours to reach Ba'al's location. Thor had told him that Daniel and Teal'c had been in what Jack himself had dubbed the lounge area – although Daniel's books strewn everywhere kind of interfered with his idea of lounging – while Rak'nor and Adal were training in another room.

He smiled when he reached his quarters again and waited for the door to silently open. When he'd slipped out of bed and had freshen up, Sam was still asleep and considering the… exercise of the past two days he'd decided give her another hour before waking her up. The huge bed was against the farthest wall and took up most of the room. Grinning, Jack looked down at the rose in his left hand and quickly hid it behind his back as he walked up to Sam.

"I was wondering where you were," Sam said in a sleepy voice as she smiled, her eyes still closed but she'd heard him approach.

He sat down on the mattress and lovingly took in her relaxed features. "I went for a little stroll, had to get some updates on what had been going on while we were… sleeping," he replied softly, waiting for her to open her eyes.

"Oh," she mumbled, opening her eyes to look at him. Smiling brightly she leaned up on her elbow. "Sleep well?"

"Hell yeah," Jack grinned, brushing her hair back with his right hand before leaning in to kiss her. "Best rest in months," he mumbled against her lips.

"Me too," she beamed at him, happy to know that he apparently didn't have any regrets even though she'd practically thrown herself at him. "I missed you, needed you," she confessed, feeling conflicted as she didn't know how she could have missed him so much since they'd practically spent every day of the last five weeks together and before that her memory was pretty much blank.

Jack closed his eyes briefly to keep his emotions under control. He had needed her too. Had missed her, not just the physical part of their marriage but the emotions. There had been plenty emotions the last few weeks, but not the good kind. Only four hours ago had she given herself to him, body and soul. When she'd been straddling him and their gazes had locked, he'd recognized the emotions in her eyes; the trust, longing, desire, lust and even a sparkle of love. Her memories might not have returned yet, but she'd been uninhibited in their lovemaking and it was like it had always been between them. Spectacular, loving, amazing and very satisfying. For the moment he loved her enough for the both of them and he was sure that in time she would learn to love him again too if her memories would not return. "Janet and Thor were asking about you but I said I'd left you to get some more rest, which seemed to be good enough for them."

Sam nodded and then cocked her head. "Jack," she drawled his name and playfully punched his chest, "what are you hiding behind your back?"

Looking slightly abashed, he slowly showed her the rose. "For you," he said softly, looking at the mattress. He'd never been very good with talking about feelings and the same went for romantic gestures. He didn't even know if she  _liked_  roses but at least he'd tried. It was a good thing that he could read Asgard so that he could operate the consoles and materialize the flower – there had only been a limited choice of plant life and this seemed like the safest option.

"Oh," she gasped, trying to come up with a more intelligent reply but only found herself gaping. "Ah, I ah… don't know what to say," she smiled shyly, "thank you."

Seeing her smile, Jack grinned too, relieved that she apparently didn't hate it and handed her the rose. "Think nothing of it," he quipped, before he felt her lips against his.

"It's sweet," Sam replied, holding the rose to her chest as her other hand ruffled his hair. Suddenly she frowned, remembering something they'd been talking about a few weeks ago. Her eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God, today is our anniversary, isn't it?"

For a moment, his heart almost jumped out of his chest when her facial expression had turned into something horrific. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding as he nodded. "Yeah, exactly one year ago today, the regs were non-existent for the first time since we'd met and I proposed that evening."

"And I accepted," she replied, smirking. "Probably the best choice I've ever made," Sam told him as she cupped the back of his neck and pulled him into a passionate kiss. "Happy anniversary, Jack."

"Happy anniversary, Sam," he mumbled in her hair as he rested his chin on top of her head.

* * *

_"My Lord_ ," Ba'alat greeted pleasantly as she appeared on the long-range visual communication device. " _Astarte, I was unaware you would be accompanying our Lord_ ," she grimaced.

"Hello my dear Queen," Ba'al smirked at her before glancing at the queen at his side.

"If you had bothered to accept my calls it would have been unnecessary," Astarte replied haughtily. "Now I was forced to take part of my fleet and several of my best Jaffa to this part of the galaxy."

He nodded in agreement as his eyes shifted back to the orb in front of him. "It was unnecessary and could have endangered our plans if some of our enemies had encountered the fleet. I do not need to remind you that the Tau'ri are very anxious to find me and the infant."

_"Of course my Lord_ ," she inclined her head respectfully, holding his gaze.  _"I am acutely aware of the risks if my existence and research would be known."_

Rubbing scented oil on her hands, Astarte nodded absentmindedly. She was well aware that the dislike she felt for Ba'alat was mutual and it would not be in her best interest to argue with her consort's Queen in front of him. "It would not only be your existence that would be endangered," she said tersely. "Now, I have not yet received the results of the child's testing nor have I been informed of the progress into your research."

_"Do not worry, Astarte_ ," Ba'alat said sweetly,  _"the location of your domain is still unclear to me so you must not fear I would betray you."_

"As it should," she replied curtly. "The reports?"

Ba'al grinned as he looked between the two women. His Queen with her bright golden eyes, pouty lips and straight black hair looking at him from the other side of the galaxy. Astarte, his consort with her mahogany curls, green eyes, perky nose and full lips on his side. They were both very different and yet similar in some aspects but had never gotten along very well, merely tolerated the other. He did not mind as long as they both did as he said. Astarte, however had become more hostile for quite some time now, which only fueled Ba'alat's behavior. It would not do for them to fall out, not before the research was done. He needed Anat to restore the balance, but he would never admit it aloud.

_"The infant appears very promising but I will need more time with the child during our next meeting."_

"Very well," Astarte nodded in understanding. "I will see to it. The research?"

_"It is… progressing."_

Ba'al huffed at the reply, unsatisfied with the lack of results. "That is what you have been saying for quite some time now, my dear."

"I should not have to remind you that you do not have much more time," Astarte scolded as she took a closer look. "You look most undesirable, Ba'alat. Perhaps that is the reason you did not contact me?"

She grimaced again, her eyebrows knitting together.  _"It is not."_

Turning towards her consort, Astarte leaned towards him. Her host was tall and easily reached his shoulder allowing her to whisper into his ear. "She is in dire need of a new host and should not be allowed to spawn more of her… flawed offspring nor use the sarcophagus."

"I am aware, my love," he replied, barely turning his head towards her. "Ba'alat, it will not be much longer before your host will perish-"

_"The sarcophagus is still capable of-"_

"No!" Ba'al snarled at her. "It will damage your brain and I will not allow my Queen to turn into an old fool like Yu," he barked, disgusted with the prospect. "Cease being fastidious and take a new host."

Reluctantly Astarte decided to speak up. After all, Ba'alat's expertise was required for their research and she would not rest before she was rejoined with Anat and their plans for the infant was completed. "Our Lord's gift is capable of repairing your host's body but it will take its toll. I will ensure a new selection of hosts will be brought to you in order for you to continue your other work."

"We will meet again soon, my dear Queen," Ba'al stated before disconnecting. "She is being most stubborn."

Astarte walked to the other side of the chambers for food and wine. "I keenly remember you praising that quality often."

"Not in this matter," he huffed, joining her. "She has her mind set on a host and refuses to take another."

"Which host would that be?" She inquired as she poured them both a drink.

"The lovely Colonel Carter, of course," he replied, taking a large swallow of wine.

Her head snapped up. "You cannot be serious," she glowered at him, "I had promised  _Samantha_  to Anat."

"Ba'alat is in need of a new host and she is perfect," Ba'al countered, grabbing a plate with food and sat down on a sofa. "Colonel Carter is a relatively intelligent female for a Tau'ri and quite lovely. Her knowledge stretches from Tau'ri to Asgard and Jaffa to Tok'ra. Unlike some of my lo'taurs her mind is worthy of my Queen and Ba'alat would enjoy the challenge of subduing such a fine specimen."

"You would revel in the knowledge of having O'Neill's woman  _and_  their child," Astarte said knowingly. "However, I must insist Samantha would be most suitable for Anat."

He watched her as she gingerly peeled some fruit, ate it and washed it away with his favorite wine. "You are most insistent, my love. Why is that?"

"Samantha is strong, powerful. A soldier yet very feminine." She smiled seductively as she stalked towards him. "Passionate and beautiful, like myself. She is very attractive and most sensual, you cannot deny that you find her arousing and exciting," Astarte continued. "I have witnessed the effect she has on you myself."

"Yes, she is very,  _very_  lovely," Ba'al confirmed, leaning his head back as she stood in front of him. "It is a shame she is now most likely wasting her passion on O'Neill; the mere thought makes me sick," he huffed, grabbing her hips to pull her closer.

Smiling coyly, Astarte let her fingers slide through his hair, looking down on him. "Passionate about those she loves, on the field and in bed."

"Very true."

"We have both seen the carnage the replicator created in her image made throughout this galaxy and I have thoroughly enjoyed the visuals from Lord Yu's ships as she slaughtered them with ardor. Her true nature surfaced; she is very suitable with her passion for bloodshed and her intelligence. With her as host for Anat and by our side, we are unstoppable," she elaborated, excited at the prospect. "She would be an exemplary goddess of fertility, sexual love, hunting and war. Her offspring would trump all and give our Jaffa even more strength. Samantha and Anat together would become our virgin, mother, wanton and warrior," she whispered as she leaned forward and captured his lips with hers.

* * *

"You seem most pleased, Colonel Carter," Teal'c said as he sat down next to her.

"I am," she replied, smiling dreamily, her mind still with Jack. "Did you know that Jack proposed to me a year ago today?"

"Indeed I did," he inclined his head, grinning slightly. "However, I was unaware that you did too."

Sam ducked her head abashedly. "I remembered about an hour ago," she admitted, cheeks burning, "when Jack handed me a rose. Over the last few weeks we've been talking about a lot of things and he'd told me about that too."

"I did not realize O'Neill was what you would call romantic."

Giggling, she grabbed his arm and leaned against him. "Neither did I, and I thought I had gotten to know him quite well."

"As have I," he replied solemnly. "Doctor Fraiser informed me she and Thor had not yet devised a method of returning your memories."

"I know," she sighed melancholically, slowly resting her head on his shoulder.

Teal'c gently closed his arms around her, trying to give her some comfort. "Perhaps Heimdall will be of service."

"Maybe," Sam mumbled, shrugging. "I don't know, I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"You are not concerned, Colonel Carter?" He questioned, raising a brow.

"We'll just have to cross that bridge when we come to it," she replied.

He nodded solemnly. "Indeed. We will arrive at the designation in approximately one hour."

"I know," she said, extricating herself from his embrace. "I'm sorry Teal'c, I didn't mean to break down on you-"

"Do not concern yourself, Colonel Carter, I am your friend and will gladly offer you comfort."

"Thank you, Teal'c."

* * *

"It appears there is a blockade that prevents Colonel Carter from retrieving her memories," Heimdall explained as he indicated the area on the scan.

Jack squeezed Sam's hands, all the while keeping his eyes on the little alien. "Well, can you unblock it? Remove it with one of your medical pods?"

Thor stepped forward and cocked his head towards the Tau'ri couple. "We will attempt to do so, O'Neill. However, we are not certain this method will be successful."

"Why not?" Daniel asked, concerned.

"It has been expertly placed and we do not have much experience with these matters. It appears to have been done by technology of the Ancients."

"Ba'al has control of Anubis' possessions," Teal'c stated with disdain.

Sam rubbed her forehead as she processed everything. "So, you're going to put me in one of those pods?" She jerked her head back, in the direction of the equipment, silently wondering if she would fit into one. "Then what?"

"We will attempt to repair the damage," Heimdall replied succinctly.

Jack stood and tugged on her hand. "C'mon, let's get you into one of these."

"Fine," she meekly followed him, casting one last glance towards her friends who all seemed to be encouraging her. "Here we go."

Thor worked his spindly fingers on the consoles for the pod to accommodate Colonel Carter's size and inserted the damaged area and course of treatment. "It is set, please take place and relax."

Sam did as she was told and, letting out a deep breath, lay back and closed her eyes. "I'm ready."

"Very well," he replied, sliding the top close.

Jack anxiously tapped his fingers on his leg, restraining himself from tapping on the pod. Or worse, pull off the lid and get her out of there. It seemed very uncomfortable and if he wouldn't know any better he'd think she was dead. "Well?"

"The brain is very complex, O'Neill, even that of a human. The procedure will last approximately one hour. Perhaps you would like some refreshments while we wait."

He shook his head and placed his unoccupied hand on the glass of the stasis pod. He wondered if that was what he'd looked like when he'd been frozen in stasis on Antarctica or when the Asgard had brought him back to life.  _Yeah, if they can do that, they can certainly fix Carter's brain_ , he told himself.

"Jack, you have hardly eaten all day," Daniel reminded him.

Janet practically jumped up and padded over to him, grabbing his arm. "General, I don't want you passing out from lack of food-"

"Doctor Fraiser, I highly doubt that would-"

"Hush!" She told Thor and pulled on the general's arm. "Sir, it won't make time go faster if you don't eat and Sam wants you to be healthy."

Daniel bobbed his head in total agreement. "Yeah, Janet's right Jack. Besides, we have cake!"

"Okay," he rolled his eyes and was about to follow them when he stopped. "Why don't you go get it, while I wait here." He didn't want to leave his wife here alone, he needed to keep an eye on her even if there was nothing he could do for her. "I mean, I can eat it here, right Thor?" He asked, turning towards his buddy. "I swear I'll vacuum the floor myself if I spill."

 


	38. Reaching the Destination

"Where is the child?"

Ba'al looked up at hearing his queen's voice and lifted his head from the pillow to see her already standing next to the bed. Smirking, he let his gaze wander over her body. Despite discovering her body intimately several millennia ago, he could still very much enjoy it. It had indeed been too long since they had met in person. "The adjoining chambers," he replied, his eyes never leaving her.

Humans as hosts were far more sophisticated than those they had once inhabited, but it also meant that their bodies had primal urges and cravings for human contact. A symbiote could only spare a specific amount of energy on repressing those needs and he had to admit the after effects were far more pleasurable than those his kind had experienced with Unas.

 _Yes, thoroughly enjoyable_ , Ba'al thought to himself as he lay his head back on the satin pillow and pulled the matching sheets up from his hips to his sweat-covered chest, thoroughly satisfied. He was most fortunate with consorts as Anat and Astarte, both completely loyal to him and known for their reputations and talents as well as their beauty. Nevertheless, a female with Astarte's talents was most exhausting. She had left him completely spent – and marked – and yet was full of energy herself. Fortunately for him, his lo'taur nor Jaffa were present to see him in his ungodly state of exhaustion.

Glancing over her shoulder, Astarte allowed herself a small smile at her Lord's condition. "Very well, I shall retrieve the infant."

"Do not forget to dress, my love," he replied, smirking at her naked form.

Turning slightly, she quirked a brow at him. "Never before have you been bothered by my lack of clothing."

"My Jaffa are guarding the child," Ba'al argued, again feeling a rush of human emotion going through his body before he quelled it. That particular emotion had been the reason he had turned on Seth many millennia ago, for Seth had been unable to repress his host's urges and was overcome with jealousy, envy and greed. Seth had tried to overthrow Ra, placed Osiris in stasis and had tried to steal  _his_ consorts, which was one thing Ba'al would not accept. He did  _not_  share.

"Consider it their reward for a job well done," Astarte said flirtatiously as she made her way over to the connecting door.

Jumping up in the bed, he glared at her. "They are incompetent fools, they do not deserve a reward."

"Yet you have assigned them to protect the child?" She challenged, placing her hands on her hips.

Ba'al reached out for his cloak at the foot of the bed. "They are the best that are available until A'kil and his men return," he informed her, throwing the garment towards her. "Yet they are still incompetent."

"When will your First Prime return, my Lord?" Astarte inquired, catching the cloak with ease.

"Shortly," he replied. "Get dressed."

Smiling wickedly, she did as told, slowly unfolding the cloak and placing it around her small shoulders. "Perhaps your Jaffa need more… incentive. Mine have never failed me and are always thoroughly rewarded."

"I do not wish to know your… methods," Ba'al answered as he swiftly rose from the bed and walked over to her to ensure the cloak was fastened properly, covering her sun-kissed olive skin. "You insisted on joining me; you are no longer on Kadesh and will therefore abide my rules." He was most appreciative of her golden skin and had often enjoyed watching her parade around in the sun, to guarantee no inch would remain untouched by the rays of the suns. However, it was not a pleasure meant for his Jaffa.

"Of course, my Lord," Astarte inclined her head, the smile not leaving her face. "I shall return shortly."

He nodded and walked back to the bed to recharge his tired body. Normally, he would enjoy a bath as her scent was still lingering on his body but he was too exhausted. After seeing what had happened to Yu due to his sarcophagus usage, Ba'al had decided to use his own less frequent and sleep instead. Resting would require only slight control over his host and it would allow energy reserves to be replenished, without the risk of his devious mind being affected too much by overexposure from the sarcophagus. A rather primitive yet effective solution for his host's species.

* * *

"Jack!"

He looked up at Daniel's call and shook his head at the approaching man as the door closed behind him. "Still nothing, Space Monkey."

"Oh," Daniel replied softly, his shoulders sagging with disappointment. "Not anything at all?"

"Nope."

"But she's alright, right?"

Jack nodded as he steered his friend away from his quarters. "She's fine, just a bit overwhelmed and disappointed, I guess," he answered truthfully. Sam wasn't the only one; he himself had been hoping the procedure would be successful and that she'd start remembering after getting out of that medical pod.

"Ah, is she resting?"

"Yeah," he replied as they walked through the corridors.  _More like hiding_ , he thought to himself. She'd rested yesterday in the afternoon and when nothing happened after the procedure they'd all talked a bit – everyone hoping she'd remember all of a sudden – and then had dinner before retreating for the night. Having spent the night with her, Jack knew Sam had been mostly tossing and turning instead of sleeping. Perhaps she really was tired this morning but he suspected it had more to do with the twenty questions from their friends and her failure – her words, not his – to remember. "Just… give her some time."

Daniel grimaced at the idea of leaving his friend to deal with something this huge on her own, but he understood. "Okay, I guess I'll go talk to her, err… later," he asked more than stated, looking at Jack for approval. If anything, Jack was fiercely protective of those he cared about and Sam was the love of his life and perhaps not a damsel in distress, but she could use all the support and protection she could get right now. "So, ah… Thor said we're only about two hours out. Teal'c has contacted the other Jaffa commanders on the two ha'tak vessels to make sure they are getting ready. Janet and Heimdall are going over Sam's scans and I've been digging through some books."

"Still researching that planet?" Jack asked, recalling his friends having filled him in on their theory of Ba'al's Queens or perhaps his mate. "Find anything yet?"

"No, not yet," he shook his head as they entered the bridge. "But Thor said he'd inquire with the Asgard High Council as soon as we drop out of hyperspace. His database doesn't contain  _all_  the Asgard knowledge; they couldn't risk it with the Replicators taking over their ships and had decided to keep a main core in their own galaxy. We just can't contact anyone as long as we're in hyperspace. Well," he shrugged, "except for the two ha'tak vessels as they are engulfed in the same hyperdrive field."

"Yeah yeah," he made a strange hand gesture as his eyes scanned the room for one of the two gray aliens. "Thor, Heimdall?"

"O'Neill," Thor replied, padding over to the two Tau'ri. "Is Colonel Carter faring well?"

"Just dealing with everything," Jack vaguely replied. "What's our ETA?" Seeing the small alien blink his large eyes, he rolled his eyes. "Estimated time of arrival?"

"One hour and forty of your minutes," Heimdall answered instead as he was closest to the console.

Walking up to Janet, Daniel sat down next to her. "So, have you discovered anything new?"

"Actually," she said slowly, turning towards him before glancing at Heimdall and General O'Neill, "it appears that the treatment was somewhat successful as the barrier has clearly grown weaker in the latest scans."

"Indeed, Doctor Fraiser is correct," Heimdall confirmed, keeping his eyes trained on O'Neill. "Comparing the scans we have made it appears the procedure has a slower effect than expected but the blockade in Colonel Carter's brain is diminishing."

Pensively, Jack watched the scans the Asgard was showing him via the large screen. "Are you saying that she will remember but it will take longer?"

"Most likely," Thor responded. "As we stated before, we have little experience with this technology and even the human brain is quite complex."

"I guess we'll see," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. Nothing personal, but they'd been saying that Sam was going to remember soon ever since she got out of that pod yesterday. He had to see it to believe it. "Where's Teal'c?"

Realizing she hadn't seen him in a while, Janet frowned. "Last I heard he went to see Rak'nor and Adal, to kelno'reem with them before the mission. He'd already informed Aron and Cha'ra on the other ha'tak vessels before he left."

"Kelno'reem huh?" Jack questioned as he picked up one of the Asgard stones and fiddled with it.

Daniel shrugged, while glaring at the object in his friend's hands. "Even without their symbiotes they feel it calms their emotional state and prepares them better. After all, they've been used to doing it for decades."

"I guess so," he replied, tossing the stone from one hand to another. "We should probably have a briefing before we go in. Thor, you mentioned something about mines? We encountered some once in the Tobin System when we were working with the Tok'ra a couple of years ago."

"O'Neill, you must not use our crystals for your amusement," Heimdall scolded him, reaching for the object.

Shrugging, Jack handed it over realizing the Asgard was too short to actually grab it from him and it wouldn't do to infuriate a technologically advanced alien race by keeping it above his head and therefore out of reach. "Sorry."

"The long range sensors indicated these mines are similar to those found in the Tobin System of this galaxy," Thor confirmed, conjuring up the results from the readings they had performed before leaving Earth's orbit. "However, we could not conclude with absolute certainty they are the same as the information was not detailed enough."

Peering at the information on the screen to his right, Daniel sighed. "But you can tell once we are there?"

"Indeed, we cannot perform scans until we leave hyperspace."

"But you're sure we're not going to drop out of hyperspace right into a field of those mines, right?" Jack wondered aloud, raising his brows as he looked from one alien to another. "Right?"

"The plotted course allows a margin of error but we are certain we remain at respective distance from the field," Thor explained slowly. "However, the mines are most likely evolving in a cloud around Ba'al's ha'tak vessel."

He nodded in understanding as he pursed his lips. "Still, they won't attack unless someone fires, right?"

"Indeed," Heimdall inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Ah," Daniel cleared his throat awkwardly, looking from the Asgard to Jack. "I hate to be cynical, but couldn't Ba'al have reprogrammed the mines?"

Cocking his head, Thor thought for a moment. "It is possible but unlikely; the technology is highly sophisticated."

"We did it," he replied, shrugging casually although the memory of that mission wasn't very pleasant – he'd been scared shitless as he and Sam had been lying underneath the damn mine trying to reprogram it. "As a matter of fact, didn't Jacob say they responded to several energy signatures? We changed it so that it honed in on Apophis' ship, making him think he was being attacked by Heru'ur."

"Well yeah," Jack replied, processing this idea and ignoring the two Asgard staring at them in surprise, "but how would Ba'al know how to do it?"

"Um… the symbols represent Phoenician letters," Daniel said slowly.

"So?"

Sighing aloud, Daniel rolled his eyes upwards. "Jack, haven't you been listening to  _anything_  I've been saying these past few… oh, I don't know, years? Ba'al depicts a Canaan deity who was worshipped by the  _Phoenicians_. Phoenicia was an ancient civilization centered in the north of Canaan, with his heartland along the coastal regions of modern day Lebanon, Syria and Israel."

"Oh," he drawled, "now it actually makes more sense."

Janet snickered softly, trying to ignore Daniel's annoyed expression or the general's smirk. Taking a moment, she pulled herself together and stood. "Okay, so it's possible that Ba'al changed the energy signature the mines will act upon. If so, can we change that?"

"Well, it took us quite a while the last time and it was a bit dangerous."

"And that was only one mine not an entire cloud," Jack reminded him. "Thor, do you have the blueprints for a Tobin mine?"

"I have," he replied, moving a crystal over his console. "I have ensured the ship will compare the design of both types of mines as soon as we leave hyperspace."

"Sweet."

"Jack, even if we can find our way through the minefield do we really have enough manpower? I still think we should have taken a few SG teams with us. You know they were more than happy to assist," Daniel cautiously mentioned.

"The less men that go in, the less chance of being discovered," he reminded him. "Besides, we have Teal'c and his Jaffa that can provide backup."

"Maybe we should go over the plan again," Janet commented. She hadn't gone on military missions lately – most of her off world activity was restricted to medical missions – but she knew the plan by heart. She may be a doctor, but she was also still a soldier in the USAF. Daniel, however, still had that civilian streak in him and sometimes needed to be reminded of the details and the importance of strategy.

* * *

"I was wondering where you were, my love," Ba'al spoke up when the door opened and his queen appeared. "Have you brought the child with you?"

"I have," Astarte replied as she neared the bathing area where he was seated, the child comfortably lying in her arms. "I was in search of the wet-nurse I had assigned on my previous visit."

Continuing to lather himself, he looked up at her. "One of my lo'taur has been reassigned to nurse the infant."

"A mere lo'taur?" She huffed indignantly. "It had been quite the time-consuming process to find a proper nurse."

"The female Jaffa you had chosen was compromised by the shol'vas," he replied with disdain.

Astarte's head snapped up, the child momentarily forgotten. "The Free Jaffa?"

"Them or those blasphemous Tok'ra, I am unsure who was responsible. All parties have been eliminated though," Ba'al added smugly.

"At the summit?"

"Indeed."

Nodding in approval, Astarte unhooked the cloak she was wearing, letting it pool around her ankles and sat down on the stone platform, her feet dangling in the warm water. "Very well handled, my Lord."

"I know," he smirked, watching her as she changed the position of the infant in her arms.

"Nevertheless, you will need a new wet-nurse," she argued, her fingers caressing the infant's cheek. "I could barely sense the naquadah inside as it has obviously not been replenished through the feeding. Your lo'taur are not equipped for this nor are they worthy of touching, let alone feeding the child."

"Yes, the signal has grown weaker," Ba'al admitted, having sensed it himself when visiting the child before his queen had arrived. "She is still strong enough, though."

"For the moment," Astarte replied curtly as she placed the infant at her breast. "Samantha's unique physique has somehow allowed the child to process the naquadah while other hosts are unable to do so without the healing effects of a symbiote, a seneb'kesh or sarcophagus. The amount of naquadah in her blood at birth was much higher than expected especially considering the small size of the infant. For some reason, the naquadah has not damaged her internal organs while the relative amounts are comparable to what we carry in our bloodstream," she concluded, still amazed by this turn of events. "With good fortune this could mean that in time using our naquadah-required technology will not require her as much energy as it does us."

He understood as they had discussed this already after the birth and Ba'alat had kindly reminded him two weeks ago when he had brought the child to her for further testing. "It has been several centuries when I have last seen you feed an infant," he remarked, observing her as the child suckled on her breast. "I had not expected to see it again."

"I am far more capable to pass on naquadah now that her reserves have weakened, your lo'taur cannot. For me it requires nothing but hormonal stimulation, which I am quite capable of," she retorted, holding his gaze and raising an eyebrow daring him to question her.

"The Tau'ri believe breastfeeding an infant will form a bond between mother and child," Ba'al recalled from memory, "due to those hormones."

"The Tau'ri are fools and you have been spending too much time on their planet," Astarte scolded him as she lowered herself and the girl into the water. "As I had offered several weeks ago," she continued, switching the subject back to the child, "my kotharat are ready to care for the infant."

Leaning back on his elbows, Ba'al enjoyed the warm water engulfing his body as he kept only his head above the water. "You have prepared them?"

"I have trained them," she raised her delicate brow again, "I do not need to prepare them as they are always organized. I have brought several aboard my main ha'tak."

"Yet you have waited to mention it until now."

"You insisted I come alone, my Lord," she replied sweetly. "Ba'na'frit, my high priestess is the one who is carrying Anat and she is most skilled. The highest ranked and most respected of my clergy."

Ba'al inclined his head in acknowledgment. "I am aware of who is carrying Anat. It will be several more cycles until she matures yet you had expected Colonel Carter to be her host."

"We are still uncertain of the time she needs to develop because of the method of creation," Astarte explained as she switched the infant to her other breast. "Ba'alat and I have not discussed the development since Samantha's escape."

"A most unfortunate development," he muttered under his breath.

"I had offered my Second Prime, Saied or even Nassir my First Prime and their men to guard her," she gently reminded him. "Yet you insisted on your own Jaffa under Ba'alat's care."

Straightening in the water, Ba'al glowered at her. "Are you implying it would not have happened to your Jaffa?"

"You said yourself, my Lord that your Jaffa are most incompetent. Mine are not, nor would they underestimate Samantha and her innate skills. Ba'alat once again failed us."

"It was not in her best interest either," he remarked. His Queen Ba'alat was in dire need of a new host as her own was failing her due to the breeding demands of the former System Lords taking its toll on the body.

Astarte glanced down at the child in her arms and shrugged minutely. "Perhaps not, but she was aware that I wanted Samantha as Anat's host."

"Ba'alat would take precedence as Anat has not yet matured."

"She was jealous," she countered, locking her green eyes onto the infant's blue ones. "Despite being capable of cloning you, my Lord and even Anat – with the help of Samantha, ironically – Ba'alat insisted she could not clone the Tau'ri female. One must wonder why."

Waving his hand around, Ba'al looked at her. "Call upon my lo'taur to take the child. We shall review the results of Ba'alat's research once we visit. However, Ba'alat would not betray me as she is my Queen and is most loyal."

"As is Anat," Astarte argued, handing him the child as she rose from the water. "I need her prim'tas for my Jaffa, their numbers are growing throughout my domain. Of course, you would not be aware as you have not yet visited in several cycles," she added, walking over to the door to call the lo'taur in question.

"I have been rather busy, my dear," he said derisively as he awkwardly bathed the infant. "Have your kotharat not yet given you a mature Queen?"

"One has," she admitted as the lo'taur came rushing towards her, eyes cast to the floor as she bowed and made her way through the room. "It are Anat's prim'tas who are most powerful and those I have come to depend upon."

Ba'al looked up as a shadow cast over the water. "Finally, a goddess is wet here. She needs a towel and rest," he snarled, pushing the child towards his timid lo'taur.

"Do not disturb us further," Astarte ordered as the young woman swiftly made her way out of the room with the infant in her arms. Closing the door, she walked back towards the bath and joined her consort. "Just imagine, my love," she crooned, "Anat's talents, powers and utmost loyalty combined with Samantha Carter's traits. Ba'alat's loyalty does not equal Anat's and she cannot be trusted to  _not_  betray you once she has Samantha as a host. We have seen what the Tau'ri female is capable of in her Replicator form and combined with Ba'alat's intellect we cannot be certain she is not bent on galactic domination for herself. Anat would not betray us; she is loyal to us, those she loves as is Samantha."

"Perhaps you are correct," he admitted as he stepped out of the water and reached for a towel to dry himself off. "There is no point discussing this matter however unless we recapture Colonel Carter."

Astarte watched him as he dried his tanned body and relaxed her own in the hot water. "My Jaffa could but you do not allow them to show themselves in fear of the Tok'ra, Jaffa or Tau'ri recognizing my symbol."

"Indeed," he confirmed, reaching for one of his robes. "I do not, however, neglect you my love. I have, after all given you one of Anubis' ha'taks."

"True and I am most appreciative of that," she said with a smile as she slowly and sensually started lathering her body. "Recapturing Samantha would be worth the risk, do you not agree?"

"I am unsure," Ba'al said pensively as he straightened his cuffs, his eyes following her hands.

Smiling seductively, Astarte drifted on her back on the water. "It would be most pleasurable to introduce the new host with your body," she suggested. "We do not know if Ba'alat is still capable of producing more Queen offspring, as she has already produced more than most and at the moment there is no need for more of your other offspring." It would not hurt to have another Queen to produce more larvae but sexual reproduction would also increase the chance of more of Ba'al and Ba'alat's own offspring and unlike some Goa'uld –Apophis and his son Klorel for example – they did not need more of their kind to share power with or that could possibly challenge them later on in their lives.

It would be foolish to risk more possible rivalry without being assured of a Queen offspring. Anat on the other hand would start all over and it would not be long before she could produce Queen offspring. Ba'alat would most likely only be capable of an asexual process to produce offspring they could use for their foot soldiers but even her latest were flawed and it showed in Ba'al's Jaffa. Anat's larvae had always been strong, evidenced by Astarte's own Jaffa and her Queen offspring were of a good lineage too. "Anat would be more than capable of giving us the offspring we wish," she continued in the same tone, "and she would join our battle. You know I do not share you or anything else for that matter with anyone but Anat. I am aware of Samantha's attractiveness and find it most pleasurable."

"Yes, Colonel Carter is very lovely," he said again, smirking.

"I am aware of that too, I have seen the effect she has on you; give her to Anat and she will be our perfect consort, my love."

* * *

"Still nothing, Daniel," Jack snarled impatiently before the archeologist could open his mouth. "Now excuse me, I just have to bring her some lunch," he pushed passed him and walked towards his quarters, knowing Daniel wouldn't follow. It was less than half an hour before they would reach the location of Ba'al's ship and Sam was still holed up in her room. He had gone over the plan again with everyone else, but as she wasn't supposed to actively participate that wasn't much of a problem. Sam would remain aboard the Asgard vessel while he and his team and the Jaffa would enter the ha'tak vessel. Hopefully, they could beam in but Daniel had a good point about altered energy signatures and Jack wasn't looking forward to being blasted out of space for using the beaming technology.

Turning the corner, he reached the quarters and waited for the door to open before locking it behind him. "Sam?" Jack called out, looking around the room. "It's getting late… well, not that you could tell by looking out the window, but I've brought you lunch."

"I'm in the bathroom," she called out.

Jack set down the plate and padded over to the door. "Will you be coming out soon?"

"Ah, I'm not sure," she said hesitantly.

"Why?" He asked, frowning when the door didn't open.  _She must have locked it_ , he thought.

The door swooshed open, revealing Sam with a towel wrapped around her body, her hair wet and combed back.

"My head hurts," Sam replied as she gnawed her lip. "I think… I'm starting to remember stuff, little things," she added quickly before getting his hopes up. "Technical stuff and occasions where I was introduced to it. Nothing major yet… more like captured images that are slowly showing themselves, flashbacks or something like that."

Jack gaped a few times before he could form the words. "That's great! Looks like it's finally starting to work then," he grinned, hugging her.

"I guess," she mumbled, wincing as she her head started throbbing again. "It's just not the stuff I want yet."

"It'll come," he reassured her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Don't worry about it."

Sam nodded in his hold, before stepping back. "I should get dressed, are we there yet?"

"Almost," he replied and walked over the bed to sit down as she sought out her BDUs. "I'm sure your news will cheer Thor and Heimdall up."

"They need cheering up?"

"Oh yeah," Jack bobbed his head. "And Daniel has been asking about you for hours."

She pulled on a bra and shirt, grimacing when she heard that. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Jack. It could be that some stuff will never come back."

"You're right; let's not get ahead of ourselves, we don't know what will and won't come back."

Acquiescing, Sam put on her pants and sat down for her socks and boots. "Maybe Thor has something for this headache."

"Who knows."

"Yeah," she replied, standing up once she was done and pulling him up by his hand too. "Let's go tell him."

Jack almost skipped towards the bridge, elated with the news that she was remembering  _something_  but didn't say a word as not to upset her more. It seemed that the memories hadn't reassured her – yet – so he wouldn't push it. "Thor, buddy, guess what?"

"O'Neill, Colonel Carter?" Thor asked, lifting his head to see the two Tau'ri joining them.

"Carter is remembering small stuff," he beamed.

"Oh wow, that's great," Daniel cheered, running over to hug her.

Janet grinned broadly and was a bit gentler in her hug. "I guess this is a good sign," she said, "because we just dropped out of hyperspace."

"It is indeed good news," Thor affirmed.

"Colonel Carter, would you allow me to scan your brain once more to compare it with previous results?"

"Sure Heimdall," she replied, already used to it by now.

"I am most pleased upon learning of this new development," Teal'c intoned, grinning slightly. "However, I feel we should partake in the mission soon."

Thor inclined his head and blinked a few times before turning towards his console. "The comparison has been done; the Tobin mines are similar to these but the energy signature appears different."

"Can't you just, I don't know," Jack shrugged, waving towards the screen showing the mines in front of the ship, "beam a path through the field? For all I care you beam them to the other side of the field."

"I shall investigate," he replied, moving his spindly fingers over the console to study the design.

Heimdall was preparing Colonel Carter's new scan when his console made a warning sound. "I am picking up abnormal readings; there is only one ship visible yet the signature is not correct."

"Could it be that there are more ships hidden within the field?" Daniel asked concerned. "Or maybe on the other side of the field?"

"Huh, a standoff between Goa'uld, I like it," Jack decided.

"Or accomplices, Sir," Janet chimed in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The part about offspring from Queens is purely fictional as there is no real explanation in the show. If Goa'uld are asexual, then how can here be a Queen in the first place? If these Queens produce offspring via an asexual process then what is the difference between a normal larvae and a Queen larvae? It has been subject of many discussions between myself and A Karswyll and this is pretty much what we have decided on.
> 
> "The Kotharat, 'the skilful ones' were a group of northwest Semitic goddesses appearing in the Ugartic texts as divine midwives. They are the only Canaanite deities that only appear in a group" - wikipedia


	39. Ready, Set, Go!

"The blockade appears to have been dissolved," Heimdall announced.

"It's completely gone?" Jack asked excitedly, looking from Sam to the gray alien.

He inclined his head. "It appears so, O'Neill."

Narrowing his eyes as Heimdall seemed to hesitate before answering, Jack leaned forward. "And when you say 'appears' you mean there is nothing to see?"

Janet examined the holographic image of Sam's brain and pursed her lips. "Comparing earlier scans with this one the barrier isn't noticeable… with the exception of a small," she grimaced, glancing at Heimdall for a word, "dot."

"Abnormality," Heimdall said simultaneously.

"A residual of the blockade," Teal'c proposed, raising an eyebrow.

Heimdall cocked his head and blinked at the image. "Perhaps. We will wait for another period of time to pass before performing another scan."

Sam, silent up until now, sighed and stood. "You guys should get ready to leave."

"I'd be out there in a flash," Jack replied, knowing that there was nothing he could do to help or reassure her other than looking for their baby and Ba'al, "but there are still those pesky mines."

"Right," she nodded, pinching the bridge of her nose to try to stave off the headache. They'd left the medical bay after her scan and made their way over to the bridge in order to simultaneously examine her scan and watch the mine field. Walking over to Thor's console, Sam looked at the designs. "Daniel, you said we've reprogrammed one of those Tobin mines before?"

"Ah, yes," he dragged a hand through his hair. "It was a bit difficult… well, and dangerous."

"You can only touch the underside of the mine, so Jacob ringed one inside the teltac and you and Space Monkey lied underneath it to try and open the panel. But they are in constant motion, repositioning themselves," Jack explained, shrugging although he didn't quite feel alright with having to do it all over again. "Thor, can't you beam them out of the way?"

"I cannot," he denied, shaking his head, "we have not befriended those who designed the mines in the Tobin System and therefore cannot be certain our energy signature will not be acted upon."

Clearing his throat, Daniel stepped forward. "Ah, are you saying the mines could attack us if you use the beaming technology?"

"I am."

"It is also the reason we have not yet activated our shields," Heimdall added.

"Are we then not perched birds?" Teal'c inquired, grimacing at the suggestion of being unprotected.

Jack rolled his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck as he stared out in space, watching the rotating minefield in front of them. He knew the two ha'taks from the Jaffa Nation were each on one side of the Asgard ship, but couldn't see them. "Sitting ducks, T," he corrected his friend patiently. "Let me get this straight, Thor; we're near a  _mine_  field which rotates around Ba'al's ha'tak and yet our shields aren't working?"

"They are not activated, O'Neill. We cannot risk galvanizing the mines."

Knowing she couldn't add anything to the discussion, Janet placed an arm around Sam's shoulders and silently urged her to sit down. "Headaches?"

"Like a mine field exploding inside my skull," she replied soberly, rubbing her forehead. "Heimdall said he can't do anything to ease the pain."

"Here," Janet handed her a bottle of painkillers after fumbling in her medical aid kit. "At least I can do something medical around here."

Sam grinned and swallowed two pills dry. "Thanks."

"No problem."

"Can we get another one of the mines aboard to examine the settings?" She asked, looking at the others. "Maybe Daniel can change the energy signature again?"

"Actually, you did that," he admitted, scrunching up his nose. "Well, we both did… I had the manual and translated and you did… your math thing and got the right combination to delete all the frequencies and we entered a new one," Daniel explained.

Jack nodded pensively. "Thor can you beam one aboard?"

"We must not, O'Neill," Heimdall replied instead. "It could activate the other mines."

"He's right, Jack," Daniel piped up. "One of the other mines could pick up the signature of the beam and activate or maybe the one aboard will activate after being beamed over. Besides, we don't even have a manual here; they are similar to the ones in the Tobin System but that doesn't mean they are handled the same."

"Ba'al obviously made or bought these for protection. If I were him," Janet said slowly as she walked up to the screen, "I would have made sure the energy signatures of the Asgard beaming technology would be included as we use the same for our ships."

"But so does Ba'al," Jack reminded her, "or at least Anubis did and he took over Anubis' fleet."

Resting her elbows on her knees, Sam hung her head. "What other means of transportation do we have?"

"None," Thor replied.

Her head snapped up, a puzzled expression gracing her features. "Only beaming technology? What about the Jaffa?"

"The ha'taks carry staff canons, naquadah bombs, death gliders, alkeshes and ring transporters," Teal'c informed her formally.

"Even if we could use the beaming technology we wouldn't be able to get aboard his ship, right?" Jack questioned the two Asgard. "We couldn't the last time Anubis had Thor, because of the upgraded shields."

"If we can't use our shields then neither can Ba'al, right?"

Thor cocked his head, his spindly fingers moving crystals over the console. "Correct; Anubis downloaded the information from my brain and has used Asgard technology to sophisticate his shielding even better. If we are unable to use our shields then so is Ba'al."

"Then we could either beam aboard or use ring transportation," Teal'c intoned.

"Unless his shields  _are_  working and we're really sitting ducks out here," Jack argued as he paced around. "Can you scan the ship?"

"That method might alert the mines of-"

Groaning, he relented. "Fine, what about Carter's idea? The Jaffa can ring one aboard and delete the programming."

"The manual could be different, Jack," Daniel objected. "Besides, we can't manually beam all those mines aboard one by one; there are at least two hundred out there!"

"I'd say more than a couple of hundred," Janet mumbled, glancing through the 'window.' "I guess you can't scan the entire cloud either?"

"Indeed we cannot risk it," Heimdall replied as he inclined his head.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow as he pondered the schematics. "You were able to scan one mine."

"The one closest to our location when we left hyperspace," Thor acknowledged. "To scan all would require our long range scanners and more energy."

"And that would increase the risk," Jack guesses aloud, frustrated.

"Ba'al has not yet responded to our presence," Teal'c continued, smirking slightly, "perhaps he is incapable of using his scanners as well. He presumes he is safe within the field."

"Good point," Jack conceded, "unless he's going to hail us any second now. Can we even contact the Jaffa ha'taks?"

"We can," Heimdall responded as he padded over to the communications console. "The distance between our vessels and the mine field is great enough as the Jaffa ships are close by."

* * *

"I have selected the hosts for Ba'alat," Astarte remarked when her consort entered the room.

Ba'al nodded as he walked into the chambers. "Very well," he relented, knowing his Queen was in dire need of a new host. The chance of recapturing Colonel Carter was rather slim at the moment and he had to admit – to himself – that the idea of implanting her with Anat was very enticing. Astarte had made good arguments. "You are not yet dressed."

"My skin does not react well to spending days in space," she replied haughtily as she continued rubbing scented oil on her arms. "I prefer fresh air and sunshine."

"There are plenty of stars."

"Do not mock me," she retorted, glaring at him. Holding out her bottle, Astarte beckoned him with her free hand. "Come my love, I cannot reach my back."

With a few long strides Ba'al accepted the bottle and turned her around. "The child was still asleep," he told her as he massages the oil into her skin. She had asked him to bring the child unless she was still asleep.

"Have you contacted A'kil?" Astarte purred as she threw her head back, letting it rest on his shoulder.

"Not yet, he still has until full moon," he replied into her ear. "Vi'tak will contact us in the morning."

"Very well," she moaned as his large hands kneaded her muscles. "I shall inform the Kotharat aboard my ship."

Adding more oil, Ba'al put the bottle away and massaged her lower back. "We will leave in the morning for Ba'alat."

"We must present the child to your underlings," Astarte reminded him as she reached back and captured his hands, bringing them to her front.

"Once you are dressed," he crooned as his hands slid over her taut stomach to cup her breasts.

Smiling coyly, she turned her head towards his tanned neck. "Of course, my Lord."

Ba'al captured her lips with his and pulled her body against his.

"My Lord!"

Groaning, Astarte broke off the kiss and glared at the door separating the chambers from the corridors. "Who dares interrupt us?"

"Put this on," he told her as he let go off her and grabbed one of her garments to give her. Adjusting his own robes, Ba'al walked over to the door and, after assuring his queen was dressed unlocked it. "You dare interrupt me?"

"I apologize, my Lord," Til'vak bowed deeply. "However, I have to inform you that our scanners have indicated the presence of several vessels nearby."

Turning around, Ba'al raised his hands and brows at Astarte. "Well?"

"I have left specific instructions with Nassir," she replied affronted. "My First Prime is most competent and he is aware that my ships must remain cloaked."

"Are you certain, my love?" He asked her smoothly.

"He has pledged to uphold my orders on the life of his daughter," Astarte informed him as she readjusted her hood and joined him at the door. Her appearance must remain a mystery to his Jaffa as they could not afford for her identity to be betrayed – and Ba'al's Jaffa were not the most trustworthy.

Ba'al cocked his head and regarded her. "Does he not have seven sons?"

"Nine," she retorted haughtily, "but his third wife has finally given birth to a daughter. But you would be unaware as you never visit my domain."

"You are most involved with your Jaffa," he said condescendingly as he waved his commander to lead the way.

Astarte followed them, easily keeping up with his strides. "It keeps them loyal and willing to do my bidding. Storing their numbers and families in my vast mind is a small sacrifice."

"You should not allow them to breed in these numbers."

"Why not?" She inquired as they turned the corner. "My armies are growing by the day; I do have a reputation to uphold as a deity of fertility."

Ba'al shook his head at her melodic chuckle but refrained from commenting as they entered the peltac. "What are the scans indicating?"

"Two ha'taks and an Asgard vessel, my Lord."

He nodded at the Jaffa who had answered him. "The Tau'ri," he said as he turned towards Astarte. "It appears they have found me."

"They have come back to exact revenge and claim what is theirs," she replied, slightly bored. "They will not succeed."

"My Lord, what do you wish for us to do?"

"Nothing for now," Ba'al smirked, "they cannot breach the field of mines. What have they done since arriving?"

Til'vak stepped forward and reached for the consoles. "The Asgard ship has scanned the mines but they have not moved from their location since exiting hyperspace, my Lord."

"They fear retribution from the mines I have installed," he laughed, amused that the once mighty Asgard now feared him.

Raising a brow, Astarte placed her hand on his arm and leaned closer as not to be overheard as he calmed. "Do you not mean Samantha, my Lord?"

"What?"

"Samantha has programmed the mines for you; I did say it was unwise to allow her to do so."

Ba'al glared at her as he pondered her words. "That was before the procedure had been done-"

"It had not been finished properly, we do not know what she remembers."

"O'Neill would not take her with him," he replied, sounding more confident than he felt.

Now it was Astarte's turn to laugh. "You cannot be serious, my Lord. Samantha is most passionate, a force of nature when it comes to the child; do you not remember her behavior while staying with us?"

"That was before we had performed the procedure and-"

"Once again Ba'alat failed us," she interrupted him, all humor gone. "Samantha was able to escape without completing the procedure; the Tau'ri have most likely contacted the Asgard as is evidenced by their presence. Perhaps they were able to restore what Ba'alat has done."

"We do not know that," he hissed at her, getting more frustrated. If she was correct that meant they had to leave immediately. "There is no sign of the Tau'ri vessel, only Jaffa and Asgard."

"We both know the Asgard nor the Jaffa would ask each other for help without the Tau'ri!"

* * *

"How is she, Janet?" Daniel asked when she neared their table.

She shrugged as she placed her own tray on the table and sat down. "Her head is mostly hurting and I know Sam does not complain easily."

"No kidding," Jack huffed as he took a bite of vanilla cake. He knew his wife better than most married couples knew their spouses and whenever Sam said she was 'fine' it meant something was hurting her. When she actually admitted something was hurting her, it was  _very_ serious! "Is she resting again?"

"Does Colonel Carter not need nourishment?" Teal'c questioned, peeling a banana.

Janet took a sip of coffee, relishing the taste before she answered. "I had already given her a painkiller but it didn't kick in so I made her some herbal tea and she went to lie down with an eye mask."

"How come Carter gets herbal tea when you're always pulling out the big needles for me?" Jack whined, feeling wronged. Not that he wished the big needles upon Sam but wasn't Napoleon supposed to treat everyone equally?

"How else am I going to see you with your pants down, Sir?" She retorted, blinking innocently.

Daniel snorted, almost spilling his coffee. "But she's okay?"

"She'll be fine," Janet reassured him, patting his hand. "Her brain is just trying to process all the flashbacks, trying to place certain events from her past and link them with other memories… I'm surprised she was still standing."

Finishing his last piece of fruit, Teal'c leaned back in his chair. "Aron and Cha'ra were prepared to have some of their men use a teltac and procure one of the mines in order to reset it."

"But we still don't have the manual," Daniel objected as he chewed down his sandwich.

"The Tok'ra asked us for help last time and brought us the manual; if you don't remember why don't we download it from their subspace network?" Jack suggested as he reached for his red jello.

"Of course," he replied, rolling his eyes at his own stupidity. "It could help us try and figure it out. Even if it doesn't work we can try to reset one of the mines and if that doesn't work we have five minutes to release it into space."

Janet frowned at that idea. "That would mean that it's going to explode and therefore attract the other mines, right?"

"Well yeah," he admitted.

"If so, there is nothing to lose by raising our shields and attacking Ba'al."

"I see," she nodded, smiling at Teal'c. "That will hopefully prompt him to return fire and then the mines will divide between us and them-"

"Too risky," Jack objected, gruffly. "That ha'tak will be destroyed before this ship and if my baby is aboard…"

"Sorry," Daniel quickly apologized. "I obviously wasn't thinking."

"Obviously," he replied as he stood. With a few strides he left the quarters and made his way to the bridge.

"O'Neill," Thor greeted him as he walked passed him. "Will you not accompany me to the cargo bay?"

Stopping in his tracks, Jack looked at. "Why, what are you doing there?"

"I myself will merely be observing Colonel Carter."

"What's Carter going to do?" He asked, fear gripping his heart. Hadn't Janet just told them she was resting?

"She had one of her stupid ideas," Thor replied as he continued his way.

Clearing his throat, Jack turned around and, meeting up with the small alien, matched his buddy's stride. "Ah, Thor? How stupid would this idea of hers be on a scale from one to ten?"

Thor blinked a few times before responding. "A ten."

"Not  _so_  stupid then," he breathed out.

"Ten is not the worst?"

"No! What the hell is she going to do?"

Rounding the corner, Thor stepped up to the transporter array and urged O'Neill to do the same. It would cost too much time to reach Colonel Carter by foot. "She is using a transportable shield to capture one of the mines in the bay."

"She's opening the bay doors?" Jack asked, terrified. "Why did you allow her to go?"

"Colonel Carter is most stubborn and her stupid ideas have always worked," he explained patiently as he turned on the device.

Resisting the urge to slap his buddy on the back of his head, Jack grimaced as the white light engulfed them. "There's a first time for everything, you know."

"I agree," Sam cheered. "Did Thor explain what I'm going to do?"

"You're not going to do anything," Jack replied as he jogged over to her. "Sam, what the hell…."

"It's a bit intimidating, I know," she said patiently as she lowered herself to the ground and rolled under a mine.

"You call a lineup of highly dangerous mines from here to  _outer space_  'a bit intimidating'?" he asked, stunned. The bay doors were still opened and he suspected she was using some kind of shield to keep them all from dying. But that was not the most disconcerting part! His wife was lying underneath a mine, trying to reprogram it and only a few feet away was another one… and another one… and another one… there were at least twenty lined up until the ship ended!

Sam sighed as she opened the panel and peered at him from underneath the mine. "Don't worry about it, it's all shielded. If this mine explodes-"

"Then you'll be  _dead_!" he yelled at her, ready to pull her away from the mine. "And there'll be a chain explosion!"

"-then the explosion suppression system will ensure the blast is only localized," she continued. "You might want to step back a bit though, I'm not sure where the shields overlap."

"Sam," Jack said softly as he sat down on his knees, ignoring the intrigued Asgard a few feet behind him – of course Thor knew exactly where to stand. "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm trying to deactivate the mine field," she said in a placating manner. "So that you can board Ba'al's ship."

He dragged a hand through his hair and copied her position as he slid underneath the mine too. "You don't have to risk your life in doing so. The Jaffa are willing to-"

"To sacrifice their own men? So I can't fix my mistakes but I can let them pay for them with their lives?"

"What are you talking about, Sam?" Jack asked, concern coloring his voice. "You have done nothing wrong-"

"Jack… just let me work," she said, instead of what she'd intended to say.

"Talk to me, Carter."

"Fine," she huffed as she reached up and turned the handle clockwise. "I got myself abducted, I lost my memory, I  _forgot_  we had a baby, I  _left_  our baby with that megalomaniac-"

Carefully reaching out to her, he grabbed her left wrist. "None of that is your fault!"

"-I made this mine field," Sam concluded as she continued her work and reset the mine. "I remember, Jack," she whispered, not daring a glance at him.

"Sam," he said softly, scooting from underneath the mine as the lights blinked indicating it had been reset and pulled her away by her ankles too. "It's good that you're remembering stuff, but don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry," she said sheepishly as she rose to her feet. "I just have to do what I can… you're not letting me join you guys so I have to try and fix my mistakes from here."

"What happened to you isn't your fault," Jack said firmly as he cupped her cheeks in his hands. "Do you understand?"

"Yes Sir," Sam whispered as she gnawed her lip, uncertain. "Sorry."

"Stop apologizing," he told her, gently kissing her mouth before he pulled back. "Now, what was your stupid idea?"

Sam turned around, startled when she almost bumped into Thor, already completely forgotten he was there. "Ah right, I need access to a console."

"I have prepared this one for you, Colonel Carter," Thor replied as he padded towards a console on his right.

She followed him and beckoned Jack over. "I remembered programming these mines and I knew all I had to do was reset them and then start a correlative update."

"Like the ones the DHDs have?" He asked, confused by the current events.

"Something like that," she nodded. "It has probably been installed so that they can be more easily controlled, otherwise Ba'al would never be able to leave the field."

"Makes sense," Jack admitted, shrugging. "So you can do that?"

Sam bobbed her head as she moved the stones around the console. "Yes I can, that's why they had to be lined up; they have to be close by to connect with each other, otherwise anyone can simply capture one and reset the entire field. You could see it like a fuse leading-"

He waved his hand around dismissively. "Yeah yeah, I got it. Will it work?"

"It's practically the same thing I did last time," she shrugged, ignoring her throbbing headache as she continued her work. "Done."

After a long silence, Jack exchanged glances with Thor before looking at Sam. "Are you sure? Nothing happened, they're still hanging around and moving and stuff."

"Well yeah," she replied, wondering why he was questioning her. "Thor?"

Hesitating for a moment, Thor inclined his head. "I am unfamiliar with this technology, Colonel Carter."

 _Bastard_ , Jack thought, glaring at him. "Shouldn't we test it?"

* * *

Straightening the child's robes, Ba'al wandered around the corridors. He felt utmost ridiculous holding a child in his arms and he was certain that his Jaffa did not find him as threatening as they had in the past. He should do something about that, he thought to himself. "Yes, my sweet," he cooed at the girl, "we should make an example. If only we could find my lovely goddess… my other goddess," he smirked at the child. "Where is Astarte?" Ba'al wondered aloud as he turned the corner and found a lineup of his Jaffa.

He dismissingly waved his free hand around. "Gods are passing," he snarled as he made his way into the quarters. "What are you doing, my dear?" He asked politely as he glared at his consort.

Astarte looked up at him and gave him a smile as she waggled her brows. "Inspecting, my Lord."

"I assumed," he said disapprovingly. Grabbing her by the arm with his free hand, he pulled her aside. "What,  _exactly_ , are you inspecting?" Ba'al inquired as he eyed the half-naked Jaffa lined up from here into the corridor.

"Your Jaffa," she replied innocently. Astarte startled – invisibly – when he narrowed his eyes and she saw the ribbon device on his wrist start to glow. "You appear to have many traitors among your men," she elaborated, "did not one of them not even carry a prim'ta?"

"They have been dealt with at the summit," he responded, still glowering.

Tipping her head back, Astarte looked him in the eyes as she made sure her hood remained in place. "Yet the Tau'ri and Asgard have found us. A traitor could be amidst them. I am inspecting their pouches for they could try to remain inconspicuous by carrying an appropriate amount of naquadah with them."

"Very well," Ba'al grudgingly relented. "Carry on."

"Are you not going to inquire about my results so far?"

Shifting the child in his arms, he looked up at her. "You have results?"

"At least one of your under lords is a Tok'ra," she replied haughtily. "Two Jaffa were using the drug."

"A Tok'ra?" He huffed, his just-turned off ribbon device suddenly looking very enticing. "How do you know this?"

"She claimed to be Athena," Astarte replied, still keeping her voice low as not to be overheard.

Ba'al raised a brow in surprise. "I can assure you-"

She huffed, holding up one hand. "I do not wish to know."

"Yet you claim she is not who she says she is."

"Indeed I do."

"Enlighten me, my love," he challenged her. He had brought Athena with him after she had gained control of a host on Earth. Their time together had been… most pleasurable. He had then sent her off to one of his planets to restore order as he met up with Ba'alat and Astarte herself.

"She asked to see the child and your lo'taur daren't refuse her," she said with disdain. "You should train them better."

"The females are weak," he huffed, agreeing with her. Already two had been turned by a Tok'ra or a shol'va, he could not tolerate it.

"Athena did not remember me," Astarte continued.

Frowning, Ba'al peered at her dimly lit face underneath the hood. "Should she?"

"We have… spent time together," she replied vaguely, unable to keep a smug smile from her face. "I have been using this host for millennia and as you know, I am quite unforgettable."

"I see," he grimaced, not liking her insinuation. "What have you done?"

"I stabbed her," Astarte replied matter-of-factly, "with one of Anat's spears from your chambers."

Interested, he leaned even closer in order to whisper in her ear. "What have you done with the Tok'ra?"

"She is spilling her blood on that precious carpet you brought back from your visit to the Tau'ri planet," she smiled sweetly. "I have locked the chambers, no one goes in or out. The Tok'ra begged me to heal her."

"Despicable," he agreed, even though he was slightly angered by the fact that she had purposely – she had often commented on the carpet – ruined his carpet.

"Did not even ask for the sarcophagus, merely offered me to use her seneb'kesh."

"Outrageous," Ba'al groaned, straightening. "The Jaffa?"

"Almost done, my Lord," Astarte replied as she stepped forward to continue her inspection.

* * *

"I shall beam you aboard the ha'tak vessel," Heimdall informed them.

Teal'c inclined his head respectfully. "Aron has assured me his shields have been lowered."

"It is true," Thor confirmed as he used his scanners now that the mines were not harmful.

"We'll grab a couple of teltacs and ring aboard Ba'al's ship," Jack once more repeated their plan of entry.

Sam nodded sharply from her place near the console. "I will remain here with Thor to guide you through the ship."

"As we have done before," Teal'c gently reminded her of a previous mission.

"I don't remember," she said apologetically. "Not yet, at least."

"You're only saying that because I said  _I_  would be the hologram next time," Jack quipped before Heimdall transported them.

Heimdall nodded towards Thor and Colonel Carter. "I shall review the medical scans of Colonel Carter. I will remain in the medical bay unless my help is necessary."

"Can you scan Ba'al's ha'tak and distinguish the Goa'uld life signs?"

"I can," he replied as he moved his hand over the consoles. "The red lights indicate symbiotes and the green humans."

"What about Goa'uld and Jaffa?"

Thor inclined his head as he reached for another crystal. "Red are Goa'uld and yellow Jaffa."

"That are quite a few humans," Sam mumbled, slightly disappointed.

"The Goa'uld have their lo'taur who serve them and are trained for possible future hosts," he explained patiently. "Often, they also have a harem of humans."

"Too much information," she groaned as she rubbed her forehead again. The headache had slightly subsided when she'd been working on the mines but now it was back with a vengeance.

" _Carter, come in."_

"I'm here," she replied to the communication.

" _Daniel, Fraiser, Teal'c, and I are set. Our ETA will be five minutes."_

"Yes Sir," Sam retorted automatically.

" _O'Neill out_."

"They have to make sure to avoid the mines," she mumbled aloud.

Thor inclined his head and nodded slightly. "They are very skilled."

" _Colonel Carter, General O'Neill; Adal, Shaq'rel, Nisal and I are ready to depart,_ " Rak'nor's voice sounded.

"You have a go," she replied.

" _As are Neith, Tolok, Ishta and I_ ," Aron confirmed.

Sam nodded and tried to give Thor a brave smile while fear was gripping her heart; what would they find aboard the ship? "Good luck, guys."

* * *

"We had another traitor in our midst," Ba'al announced in front of his men. "A Tok'ra, but she has been dealt with by my queen."

Astarte bowed respectfully as instructed but did not reveal her face. Now that the Tau'ri were nearing their location she could not afford anyone knowing her appearance. "It was my honor, my Lord."

"The shol'vas have been taken care of as well," he added with disdain. "We are Gods, we are all-knowing. Do not attempt to deceive me." His words were somewhat less convincing as the child on his arm reached out to grab his chin. Ba'al effectively evaded her move but now she was pulling on his collar. He suppressed a growl and turned towards Astarte. "Take her," he hissed.

Rolling her eyes, she accepted the infant. "Yes, my love." She still could not understand why humans – or any other race – would wish to procreate and produce offspring like these. Therefore, she was anxious to return to her ship and hand the infant over to her Kotharat. They were trained Jaffa females, priestesses who carried the most important prim'tas and would also function as midwives, nurses and whatever else she demanded of them regarding children.

"Jaffa," Ba'al barked at one of his men. "Do you find this amusing?"

"Of course not, my Lord," the man replied, unable to hold a snicker. "I apologize, my Lord. It's just that the child-"

"The  _child_  is your goddess," he snarled at him. "You are not worthy to be in her presence."

"Wait," Astarte whispered, grabbing his forearm with her free right hand as he brought his ribbon device up to punish him for his impudence. The child had been playing with her necklaces and was now pulling at one. Looking down, she realized it was not Anat's amulet as she had suspected but her own hara'kash. "Perhaps she can prove it herself," she added. Grabbing the ring device from her necklace, Astarte reached for the infant's small hand. Her short little fingers easily grabbed onto the finger pieces and the device immediately started glowing. Steering her hand, Astarte effectively pointed it on the insolent Jaffa's forehead and wrapped her own hand around the back of the girl's hand, her own fingers touching the device as well. Within moments she felt it heat up slightly and a white beam appeared.

Ba'al smirked when he saw what young Ataratah was doing and lowered his own arm. "Very well, you finish it."

The Jaffa screamed when the power increased and his skull became visible underneath the beam.

Astarte used her own fingertips to strengthen the power of the device, to ensure the goal was reached as Ataratah gurgled softly, not releasing her hold on the ring her eyes entranced by the beam coming from it. "Very good," she encouraged the infant when the Jaffa fell to the ground and unwrapped her tiny fingers from the device to hang it back on her necklace.

"Dispose of his body," Ba'al ordered before turning towards his two goddesses. "A very promising goddess indeed, my sweet," he told the child, smirking at her.

* * *

"Teal'c, buddy?"

"I am in position O'Neill," he replied solemnly in his piloting chair.

"Aron, Rak'nor?" Jack asked via the comms.

" _We are in position_."

" _As am I, O'Neill."_

Jack nodded, glanced at his own team and ushered them back to the ring platform. "Carter?"

" _All three ring platforms are free, Sir. There are two guards outside alpha, three more outside of bravo but no one at charlie."_

"Hurry up, T," he urged the Jaffa as he himself stepped inside the ring.

"I am ready, O'Neill," he replied from his position at the ring activation controller.

"We have a go, all teams I repeat; we have a go!" Jack nodded sharply at his friend.

Teal'c pressed the right combination and joined them on the platform before the rings activated and brought them aboard Ba'al's ship.


	40. All Aboard

_"We're in and have secured the alpha ring transporter,"_  Jack's voice sounded through the comms.

Sam let out a breath she didn't she was holding and nodded towards Thor. "Good," she grinned. "Rak'nor, Aron?"

"We are most fortunate the Goa'uld ha'tak vessel required the transporter rings to dispose of something unwanted," Thor said as he moved his crystal stones over the consoles in order to identify the unknown subject.

_"Bravo point has been secured as well_ ," Rak'nor informed them.

Sam agreed with the gray alien, for a minute she'd been afraid there would be no way to enter the ha'tak. "Yeah, if they hadn't we wouldn't have been able to use the same frequency to penetrate the shields." Turning towards the console she once again opened the communication line with Aron. "What is your status, Aron?"

"Your calculations and subsequent timing were correct," Thor confirmed as his ship scanned the enemy vessel once more.

_"Charlie transporter is secured_ ," Aron replied in a low tone. " _The corridors appear strangely deserted."_

Consulting the scans on the large screen, Sam pinpointed their location and searched the vicinity. "You're right, Aron. No humans, Goa'uld or Jaffa are showing up on the scans. Proceed to the glider bays and plant the scramblers."

_"We are on our way, Colonel Carter_ ," he replied before the comms fell silent again.

_"Colonel Carter, can we proceed towards the engine room?"_

Sam checked the recent scans and nodded to herself. "Yes, Rak'nor, the corridor is free of life signs. However, the third corridor on the left contains a squad of Jaffa that is apparently heading your way."

_"Understood."_

Thor blinked at his readings and scanned the object once more. "The unidentified object appears to be a lifeless Jaffa."

"Ba'al beamed out a dead Jaffa?" Sam questioned, frowning as she turned towards him. "Why would he do that? Isn't that a bit… disrespectful? Not that he would care, but the other Jaffa present would."

"His reasoning will remain a mystery," he replied curtly. "Do you wish to bring him aboard?"

She thought for a minute, pursing her lips together as her fingers tapped on the console. "You could target him properly and beam him in despite the mine field?" She tried to weigh the pros and cons, knowing that the Free Jaffa might want to give him a proper ritual burial if he was killed because he was one of them but if he wasn't then what would they do with the body? Ba'al could be tracking the body as well and he would know they had taken it.

"I could," Thor acknowledged, inclining his head. "However it could possibly rouse suspicion from Ba'al if he were to detect it."

"I understand," Sam nodded, still deep in thought. An unbidden flash of faces bearing a tattoo of the intricate design of Ba'al's mark on their foreheads crossed her mind, worsening her headache. "Leave him be," she decided, shaking her head to lose the memory. "There's nothing we can do for him and it could alert Ba'al to our mission or even our presence in case he hadn't noticed it yet."

"The ha'tak's long range scanners have detected our presence long ago," he informed her. "However, they do not appear to take action."

She shrugged in understanding. "Ba'al thinks he's untouchable because of the mines."

"Indeed," Thor retorted, his attention focused on the progress of the Tau'ri and allied Jaffa aboard the ship. "Jaffa are approaching O'Neill's position."

_"Carter_ ," Jack's voice came through just after Thor had finished talking.  _"We've got Jaffa coming in at two o'clock."_

Sam tried to ignore the pounding in her head and instead refocused on the mission. "Yes Sir. Six Jaffa coming your way, the rest of the corridor is empty. However, there is another squad heading your direction coming from behind you."

_"Crap!"_

* * *

Jack peered to his left but he couldn't see or hear the Jaffa coming yet, instead he met Daniel's slightly panicked eyes. Sagging back against the wall, he exchanged glances with Teal'c and Fraiser. "Alright Carter, we're going ahead," he decided, readying his zats before turning to his team.

_"Sir, the Jaffa squad is nearing your position and if they hear a firefight…"_

"Zats only, kids," he told his team, watching them ready their own. "Carter," he hit the radio button and waited for her acknowledgment. "Are the snakes still in the same spot?"

_"Yes Sir, it doesn't appear they've moved."_

Jack silently thanked Rya'c – who was still in their cloaked teltac – for providing each of them with an extra zat and put the safety back on his P-90 before hanging it around his neck. "Four, right?"

Daniel frowned when Sam didn't respond and threw a concerned look towards Jack as he too held a zat in both hands, ready to turn the corner and stun the approaching Jaffa. "I still think it's odd for four Goa'uld to be together."

"Maybe they're having a meeting," Janet suggested in a whisper.

He shrugged and mouthed a 'Who?' to her, already having gone over the list in his mind; two Goa'uld would mean Ba'al and his mate or possibly a Queen, although he didn't suspect him to keep a Queen this close by. Three could be the two of them with a minor lord but four?

_"Three or four, we're not sure_ ," Sam finally responded.

"For crying out loud," Jack muttered under his breath, not happy with these recent developments. How could they  _not_  know if it were three or four? "Well, figure it out Carter," he ordered before turning towards his team. "Doc, Daniel you watch our sixes," he gestured between Teal'c and himself. "We're going in Carter, you and Thor figure out who we're up against and why they are in that room. O'Neill out."

Teal'c inclined his head and stepped out in sync with O'Neill, both raising their zats. Firing four times, the first two Jaffa fell to the ground, dead almost simultaneously with the next two from O'Neill's shots. Both fired twice upon the last two and within seconds the path was cleared. Walking up to them he prodded their bodies with his boot, ensuring they truly were dead and not merely stunned due to some upgrades by Ba'al. "They are dead."

"Well, that was fast," Janet commented as she and Daniel joined them with the dead bodies. "Shouldn't we zat them again?"

Before Jack could reply, Teal'c already shot the bodies and they disintegrated before his eyes. "I thought you wanted to offer the Jaffa a chance to join the Jaffa Nation?"

"Their bodies would have been discovered by passing guards," he replied evenly, raising a brow as he looked around the corridor. The passageway was barren except for the golden pillars, which would barely provide a cover. "It was too late for them, they were already dead."

"Fine," he shrugged casually as he motioned everyone to keep moving. "Just wanted to check for the next group."

"These Jaffa are willing to give their lives for a false god, they have chosen their fates long ago," Teal'c said with disdain.

Jack nodded in understanding as they continued through the corridor, everyone keeping quiet and paying attention to their surroundings. They had no idea where they were going as the initial scans had revealed a different layout than normal ha'taks, which would coincide with this being one of Anubis' old vessels. The engine room, the peltac and the glider bays were still recognizable due to the energy readings and whatnot but they – he – had decided they would go after the snakes while the Jaffa would ensure no escape route and destroy the shields and hyperdrive. "Does anyone recognize anything yet?"

Daniel glanced to his side, seeing Janet shrug – it was her first time aboard a ha'tak so that wasn't such a surprise – before Teal'c gave a minute shake of his head. "Nothing really," he whispered, taking a quick look around. "It's pretty deserted out here; you would think there'd be more guards if all the Goa'uld are on this level."

"Maybe they're resting," Jack retorted irritably, "and don't want the Jaffa around… just want  _quiet_ , ya know?"

"Sorry," Daniel apologized sheepishly. "Teal'c, could it be that Ba'al doesn't have that many Jaffa anymore after the summit?"

"It is indeed possible."

* * *

"My Lord," Astarte began, turning around to face him once she had severed the secure connection with Nassir, her First Prime via the communication device.

Leaning down, Ba'al picked up the child and looked at his queen. "Yes, my love?"

"Nassir has detected an energy signature from the Asgard vessel as well as movement from the ha'taks," she politely informed him.

He straightened his cape and gestured towards the large white orb. "Your First Prime informed you of this while my Jaffa have not yet mentioned anything?"

Astarte shrugged minutely before reaching for her cloak. "He is most competent and your Jaffa… are not. Might I suggest a thorough scan of the ship?"

"My ship?" Ba'al questioned as he strode over to the console, mindful of the sleeping infant in his arm. Anubis had not depended upon Jaffa to execute his plans, therefore there was a console similar to the one on the peltac in his private chambers – those that now belonged to Ba'al himself. "It appears everything is in order," he concluded when the scan was finished. "The number of those present remains the same."

Stepping up behind him, she watched over his shoulder. "The Jaffa; Tau'ri ratio? Unless some of your Jaffa have mysteriously lost their symbiotes and yet remain capable of living on without access to the Tok'ra drug there are more Tau'ri present."

"There are not," he denied.

"Have you included Ataratah's first victim?" Astarte inquired sweetly. "As I recall you had him transported outside of the ship."

Ba'al grumbled and specified the scans, cursing under his breath when he realized she was correct. "Once again you are correct, my queen," he grudgingly admitted before walking to the door and informing the Jaffa on the other side that there were intruders aboard and that he wanted them dead with the exception of O'Neill and Colonel Carter.

"I am uncertain whether Samantha would join them," she commented after the Jaffa ran off to follow instructions and they were alone again.

"Was it not you, Astarte, who said Colonel Carter would not remain on Earth when searching for her child?"

She inclined her head in acknowledgement while pouring a glass of wine for herself. "It was. However, from what I have heard of O'Neill from you, my love, I doubt he would allow her to join him while boarding your ha'tak. Even if the Asgard succeeded in reversing the procedure performed on her she cannot have recuperated yet," she added, giggling softly before bringing the glass to her lips. "Nor will they have learned the truth behind the procedure."

"Yes," Ba'al replied slowly, smirking when he thought about the consequences. "Now, we must locate the intruders."

"Perhaps we should prepare to leave," Astarte suggested after sipping from her wine.

He huffed dismissingly. "Because the Tau'ri and Free Jaffa have boarded my vessel?"

"It would be a wise precaution," she gently replied, setting down her glass to caress his arm. "It was not that long ago that O'Neill infiltrated your previous base, while it was supposed to be impenetrable."

"Merely because the Tok'ra had brought him there," Ba'al retorted.

"Perhaps," Astarte admitted, straightening the robes of the sleeping child in his arm. "However, O'Neill will be more determined now than ever if he even suspects his offspring is here with us."

* * *

"Thor, how do you distinguish between Goa'uld and Jaffa?" Sam asked, still peering at the screen. She saw the four green dots of her friends moving through the corridors as well as the paired up green and yellow dots from the two Jaffa teams.

"A mature symbiote controls the body of the host and can directly influence the brain," he attempted to explain, "yet a larval symbiote is merely housed in the pouch of a Jaffa to act as the immune system. The latter situation produces a slightly elevated body temperature to the Jaffa compared to a human or a host. The computer combines this with the readings of naquadah, which are higher for a host."

"But Daniel said that when we met Heimdall a few years ago and tried to rescue you from Anubis it wasn't possible to distinguish between a host and a Jaffa."

Thor inclined his head as he reached for his nourishment, grabbing a yellow cube. "Indeed this is correct; Heimdall was situated in an underground laboratory and while his research was pertinent to the survival of our race, much of the present technology had not been upgraded in quite some decades. His focus was research as his laboratory was well hidden, his defense mechanisms were limited."

"Ah," she nodded in understanding. "So he couldn't distinguish between them because his equipment was old."

"Indeed, replacing the defense mechanisms would attract attention to his location and the renewed technology required more energy, which would be better used for the research equipment."

Gnawing her lip, Sam kept focusing on the little dot on the screen that had her puzzled. "What about that one? It's not quite red or orange… definitely not green," she added, shrugging.

Thor regarded the life sign Colonel Carter was referring to before he bowed his head and moved a crystal on the console to call upon his fellow Asgard. "I am uncertain myself, I shall confer with Heimdall."

"Okay," she replied absentmindedly, "because Jack needs to know how many Goa'uld they'll encounter. They can't risk being outnumbered if the Goa'uld have personal shields…."

"I understand."

Sam slowly started pacing the area since there was nothing she could do until one of the teams needed her help or if they could come up with an explanation for the mysterious life sign. "What I don't understand is which Goa'uld would be with Ba'al? I thought the System Lords had all been killed, with him being the exception. Are there really that many minor lords that would work for him knowing that he's being hunted throughout the galaxy?"

Despite limited movement, Thor achieved a minute shrug – a behavior he had observed many times when in the company of the Tau'ri – as he waited for Heimdall to join them. "We cannot be certain of his companions. Daniel Jackson was most likely correct in his assumption of a mate accompanying Ba'al but there was no record of Tok'ra or a ranking Goa'uld in his ranks in the subspace network of the Tok'ra according to O'Neill."

"Do we know for sure if all the clones are dead?"

"We cannot be certain of that either," Thor acknowledged, "as we do not know how many clones he has made and if there truly is a way to distinguish between the real Ba'al and his clones."

She sighed and kept pacing, glancing at the screen every now and then.

_"Colonel Carter?"_

Her ears pricked up and Sam immediately grabbed the Asgard communicator. "Yes Aron?"

_"We have reached the glider bay, how many of the devices do you wish us to plant?"_

"In order to prevent the death gliders to work the devices have to be attached to the underside of the glider and considering the size of the eruptive field and the width of the craft with the wings folded, one device should be able to disable six or seven gliders," Sam mused aloud. "Place one on the bottom of the third of every five gliders and then you can proceed towards the peltac."

_"Very well."_

With that the connection was severed and Sam glanced at Thor. "If the gliders and the alkeshes are disabled as well as the beaming technology, is there really no way of escape possible?"

"There are still escape pods aboard the vessel," he offered, conjuring up the schematics of the ha'tak to indicate them. "However, they are in the orbit of a most unpleasant and probably inhabitable planet."

"Without a stargate?"

He nodded slowly, showing her the readings of the planet. "You are correct, Colonel Carter. If your devices work and O'Neill is able to prevent Ba'al from using the Asgard technology, there appears to be no other means of escape."

"Good," she smiled, before lowering herself on a stool, resting her forehead in her hands. Her headache had come back with a vengeance and her temples were throbbing. "What about Rak'nor?"

Observing Colonel Carter's pained posture, Thor padded over to another console and recalled the scans of the Goa'uld vessel. "He and his Jaffa team are nearing the shield generator without many guards in sight."

Sam reached into her pocket to retrieve another pain killer Janet had left her and swallowed it dry before joining Thor again. "We're making progress," she remarked.

"You had called upon me?" Heimdall inquired as he entered the bridge.

"Indeed," Thor inclined his head and motioned towards the scans. "Colonel Carter and I are unable to decide what the fourth life sign represents."

He padded up to the console and read the data input. "Most intriguing," he admitted. "The Tau'ri are nearing their position as well."

Looking up, Sam realized he was right and immediately noticed three squads of Jaffa coming from three different directions. "Holy Hannah," she gasped, pointing at the yellow dots. "The Jaffa must have been alarmed of their presence."

"Indeed," Thor acknowledged curtly.

"Perhaps you could provide a diversion, Colonel Carter as you did the first time we met," Heimdall responded, not taking his eyes of the readings. "Use the indicated platform to project a holographic image of yourself to the ship."

"Ah, okay," she agreed hesitatingly. "You'll work on that life sign?"

"Indeed I shall."

She stepped up to the platform and fiddled around with the stones until Thor helped her with the settings. Next thing she knew she seemed to be aboard an overly gold decorated ship with Jack, Janet, Daniel and Teal'c pressed against the wall.

* * *

Teal'c silently held up four fingers to indicate the set of feet he heard approaching from the opposite corridor. They had been able to evade the Jaffa that had previously been behind them but it appeared their good fortune was gone now.

Seeing his friend's stony face, Jack nodded and used a small mirror to peek around the corner. "Six more coming from the left," he whispered. He reached for his radio as the marching grew louder and he could swear it was coming from the right corridor now too! "Carter? Carter, dammit!"

_"Six more_ ," Sam informed them quietly.

"Christ Carter," Jack almost yelped, caught off guard. He hated it when she was playing the hologram. "Here to create a diversion?"

_"Yes Sir,"_ she grinned, throwing a sloppy salute. Standing still, she appeared to be listening to something said to her on the ship before she nodded towards her friends. " _I'll just go out there, let them shoot and 'kill' me."_

Janet exchanged bemused glances with Daniel as they both watched the holographic image of their best friend walk up to the intersecting corridor.

"Get ready," Jack warned, grabbing both zats again and taking position in case the Jaffa squad from the opposite corridor would join them.

Teal'c imitated O'Neill's posture on the other side of their corridor and waited for Doctor Fraiser to flatten herself against the wall behind him.

Suddenly Sam's holographic self jumped out in the view of both oncoming Jaffa squads. " _Hey guys!"_

Even knowing that it was just a hologram, Jack winced when the staff and zat blasts flew through the corridors and 'Sam' fell down in the middle, playing possum. It didn't take long for the Jaffa to stop and rush towards the 'Tau'ri female' and as soon as most were in sight, he gave the signal and he and his team fired their zats.

_"This is so weird_ ," Sam commented from her position on the floor as the Jaffa dropped down around and through her.

"Nice," Jack commented as they had were all lying unconscious on the floor.

Nodding, Sam frowned for a minute.  _"Thor says reinforcements are on their way. ETA six minutes…."_

Janet and Daniel dutifully shot all the Jaffa until they disintegrated while Teal'c kept his eye trained on the opposite corridor, although it appeared there had only been four Jaffa coming from that way and they had been dealt with already.

"Something wrong, Carter?" Jack asked when her voice trailed off and she was looking around the corridors.

_"Yeah, this looks… familiar_."

He shrugged casually and waited for her holographic self to get up. "Most of the ships look the same, all way too much gold."

_"No, I've been here before_ ," she replied confidently, shaking her head.

"Are you sure, Sam?" Daniel asked, glancing around. "Because all these corridors look the same."

_"That way_ ," she pointed towards the corridor on their right.

Jack nodded in understanding as he readjusted the cap on his head. "Yeah, that was where we were going. According to your instructions that's where the three to four Goa'uld were hiding."

_"His private chambers_."

"Excuse me?"

Daniel gaped for a minute, before pointing at the corridor. "That is leading towards Ba'al's private chambers?" Not wanting to think about  _how_  or  _why_  Sam knew that, he prodded Jack's side. "That means we could be right; there's a good chance Ba'al is there with his consort."

"Let's move out," Jack ordered gruffly, ignoring the questions floating in his head after Sam's words. "You… go back," he waved at her, knowing from experience how tiring that technology was and she was still looking too pale for him.

_"Good luck!"_

* * *

"Crap, they're moving," Sam exclaimed, frustrated when she noticed two of the red spots moving from their position. She grabbed the communication stone again. "Sir, two of the Goa'uld are moving. You have to hurry, they are at the end of the hall."

_"Two out of three or four?"_

Glancing helplessly at Heimdall, she shrugged not realizing Jack couldn't see it. "We don't know yet, just… be careful. There are several humans entering the chambers too."

_"Oh great."_

"Heimdall, what do you think?" Sam asked impatiently, referring to the indeterminate life sign.

Cocking his head, Heimdall regarded the female Tau'ri. "After performing several analyses of the acquired data Thor and I have come to the conclusion that it is most likely a human with a naquadah signature," he explained cautiously, uncertain of how this news would be received.

She frowned, confused. "Like what? A Jaffa carrying around naquadah to hide that he's on tretonin? Because Teal'c said the Jaffa Nation doesn't have any covert operatives in Ba'al's ranks anymore. A lo'taur probably wouldn't have access to raw naquadah…"

"We have surmised, Colonel Carter," Thor chimed in, "that it is most likely your offspring."

Stunned, Sam stared at them, her jaw dropping slightly. "My offspring?" She reiterated, brows still furrowed together. "You mean our baby is there? With the Goa'uld?"

"Your unique physiology apparently has influenced the child's makeup, which would explain the lack of a clear sign of a larval or mature symbiote combined with the obvious naquadah signature. The amount is too high to be a Jaffa or a former host, it equals if not rivals the amount in a host."

Mindlessly, she activated the communication stone again. "Jack?"

_"Car- Sam?"_ His voice softened, probably because of her hesitant tone.

"Three Goa'uld," she swallowed hard, blinking her eyes against the forming tears, "and our baby are in there."

* * *

Teal'c effortlessly gripped O'Neill's arm to steady him and proceeded to pull him with him through the corridor. "We are nearing the position, Colonel Carter. How many Jaffa and humans are there?"

_"Looks like five, maybe six humans – they're close together so the signals aren't very clear – and two guards at each door."_

Pulling himself together, Jack shook his head, once again determined to not let his personal feelings get in the way of the mission. "How many exits, Carter?"

_"Two doors to the corridors and it looks like one connects with the chamber next to it."_

"Crap," he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "How many occupants in the next room?"

_"I can't tell, they're all moving around between the rooms. Probably five to ten as well. Two of the Goa'uld are on their way out though."_

Jack swallowed hard and quickly exchanged glances with Teal'c. "The baby?"

He heard her take a quivering breath before she responded in a clear voice.  _"Being moved to the next room."_

"Okay, Daniel you and the Doc are going to take the other exit, I will take the main entrance and Teal'c will go to the next room now."

"Are you certain, O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired, understanding his brother's motives and yet also willing to go after Ba'al himself in order for O'Neill to fetch his child.

Daniel also waited for him to respond, but when they locked gazes and his friend and commander gave him a curt nod, he grabbed Janet's arm and they silently moved away.

Jack grimaced, but nodded. "You have a better chance against two Goa'uld," he grudgingly admitted.

_"You have to hurry, it seems like everyone is moving now! I can't get clear signals with all the movement."_

Hearing her panicked voice, Jack waved his hand towards Teal'c. "Go!"

"As you wish," he inclined his head in acknowledgment before spurting off without making a sound.

Silently debating his choice of weaponry with himself, he decided that the two zats had served him well so far and would simply have to do for this goal. Those snakeheads probably had their personal shield, making bullets impenetrable and if he went in there shooting his P-90 the chance of innocent casualties was too high. "I'm going in, Sam," he whispered in his radio.

_"Hurry_ ," she responded in the same tone.  _"The signals aren't coming through properly anymore with all the movement."_

Jack cautiously reached out to the wall and felt around for the 'doorknob' until he found it and the door swooshed open.


	41. The One That Got Away?

Sam's heart was pounding as she stared at the screen. All the people on the screen seemed to have merged and she couldn't distinguish the different life signs anymore, all she could see was a large green dot from all the lo'taurs or other slaves in Ba'al's private chambers. One lone green dot was standing in the corridor,  _Jack_. Two green dots were moving in the side corridor, probably Daniel and Janet running to get to the other door. Teal'c was moving even faster in a parallel corridor free of Jaffa in the hopes of cutting off the exit to the adjoining chambers and stopping whichever Goa'uld was trying to leave.

Her fingers clenched around the communication stone in her right hand as she tried to calm her breathing. Looking down, she noticed both her hands were trembling. Nervously, she looked up again, her eyes darting over the screen to register everyone's movement. Rak'nor's team had already disabled the hyperdrive, the sublight engines and taken the backup crystals with them on their way to the shield generator. If they managed to disable the shields, Thor could beam them out immediately. Maybe even target the baby since it had such a unique life sign.

"Come on, guys," she muttered under her breath as she glanced back at Daniel, Janet, Teal'c and Jack. Only seconds had passed since she'd told them to hurry but it felt like hours if not days to her. Sam startled when the Asgard chatter got louder and she realized the two gray aliens on the other side of the room were… bickering? "Thor, Heimdall? Is something wrong?"

"We were merely… discussing the abnormal energy signature our long range sensors have noted," Thor said irritably, glaring at Heimdall. "Do not concern yourself with our discussion, Colonel Carter."

"Okay," she nodded, turning her attention back to the mission.

_"Colonel Carter,"_  Aron's voice sounded from the comms.  _"We have placed all the devices you gave us."_

Shaking herself, Sam tore her eyes from the screen that showed Jack's life sign and nodded to herself. "Good, proceed towards the peltac. There are eight Jaffa present in the peltac and a small squad is guarding the corridor. One more squad is nearing your position from the second entrance. ETA is two minutes."

_"Very well,"_  his whispered reply came. " _We shall proceed and will make contact when needed."_

"Good luck," she said before ending the call. They needed to take over the bridge because of the primary control system. She could only hope that Rak'nor had also disabled the weapons, since those were operated from a different section and though an Asgard vessel was superior it could do a certain amount of damage if Ba'al's Jaffa decided to use it. They could probably destroy the ha'tak vessels from the Jaffa Nation since Ba'al's mothership had been upgraded by Anubis. From their position around the superstructure that surrounds the pyramid, several of the sixty canons would be in optimal position to fire upon them. Luckily for her, Thor and Heimdall had assured her that the class of Asgard ship they were on now had more powerful shields and could easily withstand an attack.

After making sure that Aron and his team were safely on their way, Sam checked out Rak'nor's progress and, satisfied, refocused on her husband who had just entered the chambers. She gasped when one of the signals started blinking. "Jack," she instinctively called him by his first name as she brought up the communication stone to her mouth. "One of the Goa'uld signals is blinking; I have no idea what it means."

* * *

His brows knitted together, Jack lowered the zats in his hands slowly after his eyes had scanned the room. A group of women was practically huddled together on the far side of the room, Daniel and Janet still holding their zats aimed at them from the side entrance. With the women taken care of, he slipped one zat in its holster and kept the other lightly in his right hand. Letting out a deep sigh, he walked further into the room and cautiously kneeled down on the carpet, still keeping his guard up as he reached out his free hand. After a tug with his hand, he leaned back on his heels and hit the radio button. "I think I do, Carter," he responded, looking into the sweat-covered face of Raully.

"Jack, what's going on?" Daniel called out, not letting his eyes wander from the group of women. He'd seen a lot of things these past few years and he wasn't about to be fooled by a group of women who  _appeared_  harmless.

"It's Raully," he replied, still keeping the radio contact. "You don't look so hot," he mumbled as he searched for her pulse.

_"What's a Raully?_ " Sam's question sounded.

Panting, she grimaced as another jab of pain went through her when O'Neill reached for the bleed. "Mingala," she corrected him through gritted teeth.

Jack shrugged casually as he examined the wound. "I like Raully better," he justified himself.  _What the hell kind of name is Mingala anyway?_  "What are you doing here anyway? I thought the Tok'ra didn't know where Ba'al was."

"Forgive me, O'Neill," she said through labored breaths.

"For crying out loud, you're not dying on me now," he chided her as he tried to stop the bleeding. It was of no use, though, not with a hole that size in your body. He could practically see the carpet beneath her through it for god's sake! "Is there a sarcophagus around?"

Mingala shook her head slowly, pain shooting through her body as she started coughing. "We do not use the sarcophagus, it takes away kalach."

Rolling his eyes at her stubbornness, Jack relented. "Fine. Why don't you tell me what you were doing here, huh? Confession is good for 'kalach'," he told her, getting angry with the fact that those snakeheads had lied again. "Because someone hasn't been a very good girl… what happened, dog ate your reports?" he cursed her, himself and those damn Tok'ra for not submitting a report to their subspace network. There had been no mention at all of Tok'ra in Ba'al's ranks. If there had been he could have been here much faster! He might have been able to save Sam when she'd gone missing!

Daniel nudged Janet and gestured towards the group of women, silently telling her he was all right and she could take a look at Raully. "Go on, Janet."

She gave him a small smile and holstered her zats as she raced over to the general and the Tok'ra. "Let me take a look, Sir," she urged him, batting away his hand to examine the wound once she put on gloves from the small pack she carried around her waist.

Jack held up his hands in surrender when she didn't see the warning look he gave her and leaned back to give her some space. "Well, Raully?"

"Deasura," Raully gasped, her eyes already rolling back as she tried to fight death. "We could not… too dangerous," she tried to explain as she coughed up more blood. "Ba'al… could not allow-"

"Don't talk," Janet interrupted her, her eyes wide as she looked at the hole. There was no way to fix this other than a sarcophagus or the Asgard. Blood was trickling down her patient's chin and the carpet was already stained crimson. "Sam," she made a grab for her radio with one bloodied hand, "come in."

_"Janet, what's going on? What is happening? The signal is fading more and more… and what's a Raully?"_

"Remember those Tok'ra that came to the SGC when you were recovering?" She said rhetorically. "I need to know if Thor can beam her up?" Grimacing, Janet looked at her patient and could tell that Raully knew she was a lost cause. "There's a giant gaping hole in her body, Sam and I'm surprised she's still with us."

Jack scowled at the doctor's harsh words, before turning towards Raully again. "What's 'Deasura'?" He asked her, lifting up her head with one hand. "Who did this, Raully? Was it Ba'al?"

_"There's nothing we can do, Janet, I'm sorry."_

" _I_  am sorry," Raully spoke up, trying to emphasize the word, "Colonel Carter."

"C'mon," Jack tried to coach her, not yet ready to let her die without getting some answers. "Answer me," he finally demanded after exchanging a glance with Janet, knowing the Tok'ra could die any minute now.

Reaching out, Raully managed to grab his wrist and searched his eyes. "The child… we could not prevent it… Colonel Carter… she was here…"

He held her gaze and nodded encouragingly. "Go on," he told her, wincing when she sharply inhaled, the sound seeming overly loud in such large chambers. "Who did this? Ba'al? Where is he?"

"His mate," she managed to say, shaking her head slightly. "Leave me be… the child, O'Neill!"

Pursing his lips, Jack gave her a curt nod before lowering her head gently on the floor. He had seen it in her eyes, the windows of the soul – or kalach – she was genuinely sorry but that didn't help him nor had it helped Sam or their child! "Daniel?"

Daniel quickly averted his eyes from the women and glanced back to where Janet was kneeling over the dying Tok'ra to see Jack come his way. "I don't know, they're not talking just… huddling. My best guess would be lo'taurs or maybe sex slaves," he added the latter in a whisper.

He awkwardly cleared his throat after giving the scantily clad women an onceover. "Yeah, I guess," he replied, before reaching for his radio again. "Carter, where's that damn door?"

_"If you can't see it then the group is blocking it from view_ ,  _Sir_ ," she replied quickly.

"Move," he yelled, finally understanding why those women had been brought into the room in the first place. Why they were huddling together in that exact same spot when it would be safer to huddle in a corner, with your backs against a wall. "For crying out loud, move!" He exclaimed, gesturing with his hands when they simply stared at him.

* * *

Sam moved a stone over the console to check the others' progress. Bringing the communication device up, she contacted Rak'nor. "This is Carter, report."

_"Colonel Carter, we are nearing the lower levels_ ," came a whispered reply.  _"The generators are heavily guarded."_

"I know," she replied, frowning. "Why are you descending the shaft towards the bowels of the ship?"

_"It appears the generators are shielded themselves as the 'grenades' O'Neill handed us merely bounced off a blue shimmering. We must disable the generator manually."_

She groaned, rubbing the back of her neck. "Fine, go ahead. It looks like there is a squad two levels beneath you," Sam added as she changed the three dimensional scan to see the lower levels. "About ten Jaffa surrounding the generator itself as well. Do you need help?"

_"We do not require assistance and will rid ourselves of the guards before disabling the shield_ ," came Rak'nor's reply.

"Very well," she replied curtly. "Carter out."

"Colonel Carter, it appears Teal'c is in need of assistance," Thor spoke up, having observed the other screen for the Jaffa's progress as Colonel Carter was otherwise occupied.

Sam automatically glanced back towards Jack's position but once she saw nothing had changed, she nodded. "Teal'c, there is one squad approaching your position from three o'clock."

_"I am aware, Colonel Carter_ ," his reply was evenly, but the zats and staff blast firing around him could be heard in the background.  _"I cannot remain here much longer; Ba'al is attempting to escape."_

"I'll send in backup," she replied, before contacting Jack again.

* * *

"Move and you will die," Astarte finally spoke up in a commanding tone.

Jack's head snapped up when he heard a feminine voice come from behind the females. "Don't move and you will die," he replied, grabbing the P-90 hanging around his neck. Seeing them hesitate, he glanced at Daniel and shrugged. "They better make up their minds because my hands are a bit slippery from all the blood," he indirectly warned them as he removed the safety.

"Who are you?" Standing on his toes, Daniel still couldn't see who had spoken over the heads of the women. "You better reveal yourself or-"

"Or what?" She chuckled haughtily. "Will the great O'Neill shoot innocent females?"

"I will if they don't move," Jack bluffed, aiming his weapon.

Straightening to her full length, Astarte could see them over the heads of the slaves. "You will not nor will they move."

"I'd never expected a 'god'," he said the word mockingly since he couldn't do air quotes at the moment, "to have to hide behind a human shield. What, there weren't any children around to hide behind?"

"There are," she replied smugly, "but the child has such a promising future."

"Jack," Daniel warned him in a low tone when his friend practically growled at the woman's reply. "Look, she doesn't care about you," he tried convincing the women who were all looking at him with a dear-in-the-headlights expression. "If she's so mighty then why is she using you to hide behind?"

Astarte let out a dramatic sigh and rolled her eyes, boredom already setting in. "I have not given them permission to speak, you are wasting your breath. Nor will I allow them to move unless they are willing to die a slow and painful death."

"You'll kill them anyway," Jack replied as he raised the tip of his P-90 to aim at her. Her head, however, was covered by a hood and he couldn't get a clear shot. "I could make it fast."

"You could," she admitted in a soft tone, cocking her head to look at him. "But you won't; you could not bear taking their lives yourself."

"It's called having a conscience," Daniel argued.

Astarte huffed at that. "Being a fool," she sweetly corrected him. "If you die," she turned towards the slaves in front of her, brushing one's long locks over her shoulder to lean forward, "it will be by my hand and it will be most unpleasant. The Tok'ra could confirm if she was still capable of speech."

"Daniel," Jack said softly as he put the safety back on and lowered his gun. "Fine," he turned towards the snake, "see, I'm lowering my gun."

In one swift movement, O'Neill relinquished the gun, dropping it to the floor and immediately he grabbed both zat'nik'tels from the holsters around his legs, his two Tau'ri friends copying the movement and after a few shots the slaves fell around her feet. Astarte laughed when they fired upon her, shaking her head and slowly turning her palms upwards. "Surely you did not expect me to believe you?"

Jack swore softly under his breath, cursing that Goa'uld ribbon device and its personal shield. "It was worth a try."

"I would have been disappointed had you not," she purred at him. "It is quite an honor to finally meet you in the flesh."

"Should I know you?" He questioned, racking his brain for an answer but the only female Goa'uld he knew of were definitely nothing like her.

Astarte gave him a sideway glance as she started pacing in front of the large door leading to the adjoining chamber, where her consort was with the child. "It is I who knows of you," she retorted, muttering under her breath as she kicked one of the slaves' arms that was in her path.

"Ah, my reputation precedes me," Jack quipped.

"They usually do," she admitted, finally allowing herself to take in his appearance now that her view was unhindered. "My Lord has not done you justice," Astarte complimented him, her eyes roving his black-clad figure and silver hair. "It is not difficult to understand why Samantha is attracted to you."

He felt his face heat up at her unwanted compliment and shuddered when she spoke his wife's name… making it almost sound like a lover's caress. "Yeah, well whatever."

"Very eloquent," she chided him gently, smirking at his awkwardness. "I was correct in my assumption that the child will have a most pleasing appearance when of age."

"I'm warning you-"

Making a dismissive wave with her hand, Astarte continued her pacing. "I am aware of your motivation, there is no need to convince me."

Daniel frowned and gave Janet an inquiring look, but it appeared she was as lost as he was. He had been observing the Goa'uld during Jack's talk with her but her behavior was not what he had expected. What was she doing? Stalling for time perhaps? "Jack, we can use the other door," he reminded him, jerking his head back to where he and Janet had come from. It would require them walking around the adjoining chamber but apparently that was the only way to get in there.

"I know, Space Monkey."

"You may try," she warned them, "but the corridor is heavily guarded. It would be a shame to lose your life over nothing," she added, looking at O'Neill.

_"Sir, Teal'c is being surrounded by Jaffa while Ba'al is trying to get away. He needs backup."_

Jack immediately grabbed his radio, still keeping one zat trained on the Goa'uld even though he knew a zat would do no good against her shield. "Carter?"

_"The corridors are filled with Jaffa, Sir."_

"Let's go," he signaled Daniel and Fraiser.

"Surely you will not leave me yet?" Astarte inquired with mock hurt. "We were only beginning to know each other."

"I'm not interested," he snarled.

Kneeling down, she looked up at him as she caressed the face of one of Ba'al's unconscious slaves. "I will kill them all."

"Why?" Daniel yelped, distressed. "There's no need! They served you well-"

"I am bored," Astarte retorted honestly. "They are not my lo'taurs. Ba'al has not trained them well, they are a disgrace."

"Jack," he whined, looking at the ten women lying on the floor. "This is our fault, if we hadn't shot them-"

"It's  _her_  fault," Jack retorted, interrupting him as he jerked his head towards the Goa'uld. Still, he was debating with himself; that damn snake was right, he couldn't simply leave them here to die nor could he have pulled the trigger on them himself.

Astarte watched their behavior with amusement. "Very admirable… Doctor Jackson, I presume? I can assure you that you will not be able to enter the chamber behind me through the corridor. The only way is past me."

Reaching out to grab a candlestick with his left hand, Jack stuffed his zat back in its holster and threw the object with his right hand at her. "Crap," he exclaimed when she giggled as the object bounced off.

"I felt it was important to improve our personal shield," she explained to the shocked Tau'ri. For once, Ba'alat had been able to succeed at something. "You may try again but objects will not pass through."

"Daniel, go help Teal'c," Jack ordered as he rolled up the sleeves of his black BDU jacket.

Swiftly coming to her feet, Astarte observed him. "Will you try and attack me physically, O'Neill? What a pleasant prospect," she cooed.

"Who are you?" Daniel asked again. "Ba'al's mate, right? So, that would make you… Anat, Astarte, Astoreth, Asherah, Ba'alat?"

"You have researched me, doctor. How becoming," she approved, nodding her head.

Jack groaned, glaring at the archeologist. "Daniel go!" Seeing he was about to object, he waved his hand. "Never mind, Janet?"

"Yes Sir," Janet replied, throwing a last glance at the near dead Tok'ra before hurrying towards the corridor as she discarded her gloves.

* * *

"Do not cry," Ba'al chastised the child as he shook his free arm to reveal the device on his wrist. "It is most insolent and does not become a goddess."

"Ready," Delek said, casting an irritable glance at the child before joining Ba'al on the ring platform.

With the press of a button, the floor opened to give room for the rings and the trio was transported to a lower level.

Ba'al looked around the corridor, immensely pleased with himself when the infant stopped crying. Seeing no suspicious movement, he walked towards his goal.

"Where are you going?" Delek asked, running after him to grab his arm.

"Do not touch me," he snarled in disgust. "Tok'ra disgust me."

Confused, Delek stepped back and followed sedately. "We had an agreement," he objected when the Goa'uld opened the door to the cargo hold.

"You cannot be trusted," Ba'al argued, turning towards him. "You think you can fool me?"

"I did not fool you," he replied, affronted.

"There was another Tok'ra aboard and you did not tell me," he elaborated, narrowing his eyes. "You have lived with those despicable cousins of mine over two thousand year and now that the System Lords have fallen you wish to turn against them?"

Delek grimaced at his words and leaned forward. "The Tok'ra have grown weak. They are allying themselves with Tau'ri and Jaffa. Together, we could become much more powerful and finally rid the galaxy of the Tau'ri."

Ba'al smirked at the Tok'ra's contempt for the Tau'ri. He himself felt similar towards his kind, the Tau'ri were far more entertaining. "Either way, you cannot be trusted," he concluded, before raising his hand and killing him. The Tok'ra had turned once, there was no guarantee he would not do so again. His consorts on the other hand were loyal and trustworthy, he did not need help from a  _Tok'ra_.

* * *

"Teal'c, report," Sam commanded as she watched the yellow blips on the screen fade.

_"Doctor Fraiser was most helpful_ ," his voice sounded steady, yet slightly out of breath.

"Janet are you okay?"

_"I'm fine, I brought me one of those stun grenades_."

Sam frowned when her friend chuckled on the radio. "The Jaffa?"

" _They have been disabled, Colonel Carter. We will now proceed to pursue Ba'al."_

"He's not there anymore?" She asked, her heart racing.

_"There was a ring transporter in the chambers_ ," his disdain came through loud and clear.  _"He was accompanied by a male and the child was in his arms."_

Throwing a helpless glance at Thor, Sam gaped a few times before finding the right words. By then, the Asgard had conjured up the schematics. "There's not supposed to be a ring transporter there," she objected. "The corridor on the level below leads to a cargo room. Why would he go there?"

" _We shall unravel this mystery_ ," Janet's mocking answer sounded.

Sam snorted and rolled her eyes at her friend, knowing she couldn't see it.

"Colonel Carter, Heimdall and I have discussed the abnormal energy readings."

"Yes, have you finally come to a conclusion?"

Inclining his head respectfully, Heimdall stepped forward. "It appears the Jaffa teltacs are not the only cloaked vessels."

"You're saying Ba'al has a teltac hidden out there and that he just ringed aboard?" She questioned, concern rising within.

"I do not believe this is true," Thor denied. "However, the signature is not consistent with a teltac or alkesh. Perhaps it is another ha'tak."

* * *

"Daniel, get that door open," Jack ordered as he lunged forward.

Breath momentarily left her host's lungs as Astarte connected with the floor, but she quickly rolled them over assuming the dominant position over O'Neill. "Was I incorrect in my assumptions that married Tau'ri are monogamous?"

"Shut up," he ordered, reaching under the hood of her cloak to grab her neck. Mahogany colored satin curls fell forward, shortly blinding him until he tangled his fingers in it and pulled back.

"Argh," she groaned, her head snapping back as the hood fell over her shoulders, revealing her face.

Letting his fingers slide over the decorated wall, Daniel quickly searched for the right button as he tried to ignore the absurdity of Jack rolling on the floor with a Goa'uld. "I can't find it."

"Look harder," Jack barked as he flipped her on her back, one hand reaching for the wrist device while the other wrapped around her neck.

Astarte struggled beneath him, immensely enjoying herself as she kept her hand out of his reach and brought the other up to his face. "Tell me, O'Neill, is this situation similar to when Samantha wanted you?"

"What?" The word stumbled out of his mouth as her hand cupped his cheek instead of attacking him. What the hell was she talking about? "Seriously," he argued when she moved her hips against him, "I'm not interested!"

Releasing his face, she reached down and easily tore his hand from her throat before throwing him on his back using both hands. "Yes, she mentioned a similar answer," Astarte told him in a hoarse tone. "Such a shame to reject a beautiful woman like Samantha."

Jack gasped when the wind got knocked out of him as his back hit the floor. "Daniel!" Ba'al's girlfriend, or whatever she was, was about Sam's height and slightly on the skinny side, yet surprisingly strong. Maybe he was getting weak from flying a desk…. Then again, he'd never been in hand-to-hand combat with a Goa'uld before.

"Working on it!"

"Are you aware," Astarte continued, holding both his wrists pinned to the floor as she leaned in, her body straddling him, "that Samantha is still uncertain of what you meant with 'not like this'?"

Realization dawned on him when she spoke those words. "How do  _you_  know that?" He asked, perplexed as she held his gaze and came even closer.

She smiled at him and slightly canted her head. "I am a God, gods are all-knowing."

Jack rolled his eyes at her as he tried to get away, but her grip was strong. He idly wondered if a Goa'uld could crack ribs with their legs because she certainly was aiming for it. "Who are you?" He asked again, positive that he'd never met or heard of her. The Tok'ra had informed them of the System Lords and all the major players in the galaxy but he couldn't recall any description matching her. He'd definitely never seen an image of her, because those distinctive green eyes and the pretty face he would have remembered. When she came closer, he could feel her breath hitting his face and he instinctively looked away.

Astarte chuckled when he turned his head. "Ask Samantha," she whispered in his ear.

"Got it!" Daniel exclaimed when the door slowly opened.

Catching her by surprise, Jack flipped her over again and this time straddled her and wrapped both hands around her delicate neck. "Time to say goodbye."

"Such passion," Astarte choked out, grabbing his wrists. "Definite resemblance… between you… and the child."

* * *

"Here?" Janet asked, stepping forward to what she thought he had indicated.

"Indeed," Teal'c inclined his head and activated the transporter by pressing the right combination before joining Doctor Fraiser on the platform.

She waited with bated breath as the rings went up and encircled them and the distinctive sound the SG teams had tried to describe to her on many occasions sounded loudly in the silent chambers. Doing as instructed, she raised her arms, both hands holding a zat.

When the rings lowered and they found themselves on a new level, Teal'c gestured Doctor Fraiser to remain behind him. Without making a sound they walked through the empty corridors until they neared the door towards the cargo hold. Holding up his fist, he indicated she should wait and carefully approached the heap on the floor. "Doctor Fraiser."

Janet padded over to where he was standing and, casting a last look around the deserted corridors, holstered one zat and leaned down. "Is this the man you saw escape with Ba'al?"

"Indeed," he replied solemnly, using his foot to turn the man on his back.

"Isn't that a Tok'ra? Delek?"

"Indeed it is."

She frowned and looked for a pulse. "Did Ba'al force him to go?"

"He did not. Delek appeared most cooperating," Teal'c elaborated, the corners of his mouth drooping in disgust. He had never trusted this particular Tok'ra.

"Well, he's dead."

"Good," he nodded and reached for his radio. "Colonel Carter, we have used the transporter and are nearing the cargo hold. The Tok'ra Delek has been found dead in the corridor after cooperating with Ba'al."

_"Understood, proceed with caution. I don't see anything on your level… that worries me."_

"Indeed."

Janet shrugged at him and straightened, ready to barge into the next room. "I'm ready."

Teal'c inclined his head and reached out to open the door before stepping inside. "Kree shac!"

"Oh no," Janet echoed as they took in the sight before them.

* * *

"You have done well," Ba'al complimented Astarte's first prime.

"Thank you, my Lord," Nassir bowed slightly before righting himself. "I have sent one of my men to collect the Kotharat."

Turning towards the Jaffa, he raised his brows. "Why?"

"Per instructions of my Lady," he replied submissively.

"Very well. Have you been able to locate my queen?"

"Yes my Lord, we are prepared to take her aboard as soon as it will be possible," Nassir informed him, gesturing towards the screen where her position was clearly indicated.

Nodding, Ba'al stepped forward and activated the primary system controls to perform another scan of his own ship. "The fools," he muttered under his breath when he realized the Tau'ri and Free Jaffa had succeeded. "It has been done," he announced.

* * *

"Why won't you die?" Jack exclaimed, increasing pressure on her throat. He'd been certain she was suffocating but now she was smirking at him and she didn't appear to feel even a hint of discomfort.

"The room is empty," Daniel announced, confused.

Fed up with her games, he reached for his handgun and pressed it against her head. "For crying out loud!"

"Too much kinetic energy, O'Neill," Astarte chuckled when his bullet was deflected by her shield.

"Whoa," Daniel muttered, jumping back when the Goa'uld threw Jack off her with ease and rose to her feet.

Brushing her cloak, Astarte patiently waited for O'Neill to stand. "Did I mention the improvement in my personal shield?"

"Carter," Jack barked into his radio.

_"Sir, they're… gone. Teal'c and Janet followed Ba'al down but there was a stargate in the cargo room."_

"What? But we're in space," Daniel cried out.

"In orbit around a very useless planet," Astarte reminded them.

"Fuck!" Jack exclaimed, kicking against a low table. Turning around, he glared at the Goa'uld. Seeing a knife lying next to some plates, he lunged for it.

_"Rak'nor has disabled the shields, Sir."_ Sam's defeated voice came through again.  _"We will send some Free Jaffa aboard to help overtake the ship."_

"Do not concern yourself with the child's fate, O'Neill. I will ensure she will realize her true potential."

"She?" Daniel echoed when Jack circled the woman. Obviously his friend hadn't heard the remark or perhaps not yet processed, as it was clear that Jack intended to capture the Goa'uld and take her back in the hopes of interrogating her with the help of the Asgard.

Astarte smiled at both men but directed her words towards O'Neill. "You and Samantha produce very promising offspring; such talent and passion. Her mother's beauty, it is clear however that the female has your killer instinct, O'Neill. She did not even bat an eyelid her first time," she taunted him, smirking.

Before anyone could act, a bright white light enveloped the Goa'uld and she was gone.

"Sam, did you get her?" Daniel asked as he pushed the button on his radio.

_"… get who, Daniel? Raully? Because her life sign just disappeared about five minutes ago."_

"The Goa'uld," Jack replied.

* * *

"Welcome, my love," Ba'al greeted his queen as she appeared in front of him.

"You have most excellent timing, my Lord," Astarte smiled at him. "I am pleased Nassir was capable of executing my plan."

"Yes, my Lady," Nassir inclined his head. "I followed your instructions."

She nodded benevolently. "And you will be rewarded as such."

"What happened to O'Neill?" Ba'al inquired as he took her cloak from her.

"Physically he will be fine," she smirked.

"Mentally?"

Batting her lashes at him, Astarte shrugged minutely. "I cannot be certain, he was most upset when I left."

"He did not hurt you?"

"He may have tried," she chuckled, shaking her head. "But did not succeed. Our encounter was rather pleasant."

"My Lady, Ba'na'frit asked me to inform you that the infant is resting," Saied announced as he entered the peltac.

"She was most excited during our retreat," Ba'al informed his queen.

Astarte nodded and waved her Second Prime away. "As she should be. Now, let us enjoy our final step."

"Are you aware," Ba'al smirked and reached for the device in his pocket, "that I did not appreciate the remote control function fully until I spend time on the Tau'ri planet?"

"I was not," she told him curtly. "Execute it."

* * *

"What's that?" Jack asked when a computerized voice sounded.

Daniel frowned and looked around. "It sounds like it's coming from the intercom."

"Well, what does it say?"

"Ah," he held up his hand and tried to focus on the sound. "I'm not sure but-"

"Because, ya know, it sounds eerily familiar," Jack quipped.

"-it sounds like a self-destruct sequence has been initialized," Daniel finished his sentence, ignoring the interruption.

He sighed and hung his head. "Yep, that's what I thought. How long do we have?"

 


	42. Left Emptyhanded

"Carter," Jack spoke into his radio, today's frustrations clear in his voice.

Her tired answer came through after five seconds. _"Yes Sir?"_

"Apparently, Ba'al has somehow activated the self-destruct, Daniel says we have less than thirty minutes."

" _I'll ask Thor to beam you all out and get the Jaffa on their ha'taks_ ," she replied.

"Negative!" Jack shook his head as he glanced around the chambers again. "There's a lot of stuff here from Ba'al, something might give us a clue. Do you think you can deactivate the self-destruct?"

" _I don't know_ ," hesitation sounded clear through her voice.  _"I would have to check out the power core in the engine room, but that would require the crystals Rak'nor's team took with them."_

"Rak'nor's team already left for their cloaked teltac, because they were running low on tretonin," Daniel reminded Jack.

He nodded. "Right. Ah Carter, Rak'nor is probably already on his way back to you guys."

" _I know, Sir, that's why I mentioned it."_

"Twenty-two minutes," Daniel translated as the Goa'uld computerized voice sounded again. "Sam," he talked into his radio, "can you talk us through getting the information from the computer? At least that way we can check the stored data after the ship explodes."

" _I think so_ ," she replied.

"O'Neill," Teal'c's voice sounded from the adjoining chambers.

"Hang on a minute, Carter," Jack told her, making his way over to Teal'c who, together with Doc Fraiser, just came back from the cargo room. "What's up Teal'c?"

"Sir, you have to see this," Janet beckoned him over as well.

Daniel exchanged suspicious glances with Jack and followed him inside the room. Padding over to where Janet was kneeling down, he frowned. "Is that a… what's it called?"

"Maxi cosi," she replied, nodding her head. "And there is more stuff. Mostly baby articles but also some clothing – judging by their labels – and even decorations from Earth."

"What are the chances we're not the only people out here in the galaxy that makes stuffed teddy bears?" Jack questioned when Teal'c held up one.

Teal'c raised his brow after examining the object. "Made in Taiwan," he read aloud.

"Not very high then, huh?" he leaned forward and snatched it out of his hands, looking at the toy.

"Well, we already knew Ba'al, or at least some of his clones had visited Earth," Daniel shrugged. "Maybe he came back for more? I mean, once he knew that Sam was pregnant… I doubt he has any experience with children and what they need."

"The Ba'als have indeed appeared to be intrigued by the Tau'ri," Teal'c agreed.

Janet perused through the closets in the other chamber and walked back to the team. "Lots of Earth-like suits in the closet as well."

"The clones all did seem very comfortable in their outfits," Daniel remarked, before joining Janet and checking out the rest of Ba'al's room with her. "Food, wine, water," he mumbled, checking out the table. Glancing to the other side of the room, his eyes fell upon the lifeless form of Raully, or whatever her name was. "Do you see something that we can use to cover her body?"

Looking around, Janet shrugged and walked to the bed. "Look like satin sheets," she commented, before grabbing the blanket near the headboard.

"Is it just me," Daniel started, sniffing the air, "or does it smell like-"

"Sex?" She questioned, smirking when he blushed. "Yes, it does," which was why she hadn't opted to grab the covers from the bed. It may have been a while for her, but she'd recognize that distinctive scent anywhere. "I guess you were right about them being lovers."

He quickly walked away from the bed, watching how Janet covered the Tok'ra's body and checked out the rest of the room. "Maybe we should access this console as well, or at least try," he pointed towards Ba'al's private console. "This used to be one of Anubis' ships so there's a good chance Ba'al or Anubis kept some secret data on it."

"Carter is talking Teal'c through recovering data from the computer core," Jack commented from the doorway. "Thor has beamed out the most important stuff in those chambers," he pointed over his shoulder, refusing to acknowledge it was most likely the room of his child. "Did you find anything else important?"

"That Goa'uld was probably Ba'al's lover as we already suspected," Daniel replied, gesturing towards the rumpled sheets on the bed.

"Gross," he commented. "Ol' Bocce had a nice bathing area too."

"Yes, I noticed Jack."

Checking his watch, Jack walked over to Raully. "How much longer do we have, Space Monkey?"

"A little more than ten minutes," he replied.

"Carter, Thor," he reached for his radio. "Can you beam out the dead Tok'ra as well? They may have been sneaky bastards but Raully did save our asses once."

" _I shall do as you requested, O'Neill_ ," Thor's voice sounded.

"Just, don't put her in the cargo bay with the rest of the stuff, okay?"

" _I have placed the body in a stasis pod_ ," he replied as the body was beamed away.

"What about the other Tok'ra, Sir?" Janet inquired.

Jack dragged a hand through his hair and huffed. "That traitorous Delek? Screw him."

"Jack," Daniel objected, "we should return his body to the Tok'ra. At the very least let them decide what to do with his remains."

"That bastard was in cahoots with Ba'al, Daniel. He had the nerve to demand we back off of finding my kid all the while knowing exactly where Ba'al was!"

Realizing his friend was right, he nodded. "What about the other Jaffa?"

"Teal'c and the Free Jaffa are taking them back to Dakara after questioning them, not our problem," he replied curtly. "Thor, can you beam us out of here?"

* * *

"My Lady, should we not take our leave?" Nassir questioned his goddess humbly.

"Although my personal shield worked better than expected, I do not wish to test the renewed shielding of my ha'tak vessels," Astarte informed Ba'al as he sent her an inquiring glance. "I would prefer to be underway to our destination once the self-destruct is complete."

"Did you acquire the symbiote poison Ba'alat once sent your way?" Ba'al inquired, watching his former ship.

She inclined her head and gestured towards her right, where another of her cloaked ha'taks was. "It is shielded in the cargo room of my other ha'tak."

"Perhaps we should place it aboard my ha'tak," he suggested.

"Your Jaffa?"

He shrugged, smoothing his collar and lapels. "As you have stated before; they are incompetent. Til'vak has disappointed me several times."

"Yes, I am aware of his failed quest for the repository of the Ancients," Astarte replied. "What of your First and Second Primes?"

"They have not yet contacted me and are not aboard the vessel. Perhaps I can even eliminate some of the Free Jaffa," Ba'al smirked at the prospect.

She nodded curtly and beckoned her Second Prime. "Saied, ensure that our precious cargo is transported aboard Lord Ba'al's ha'tak."

"Yes my Lady," he bowed and quickly went over to the consoles.

"We will await the results and then set course to Gubla for our meeting with Ba'alat," Astarte stated, glancing at her consort for approval.

Ba'al nodded succinctly and sat down in the throne in the middle of the peltac. "Colonel Carter apparently succeeded in overwriting the programming for the mines," he said disapprovingly. "Can we access the update system and activate them from here?"

"Not within our timeframe," she denied. "And I am not willing to risk it now that we are safely aboard my vessel with the child."

"Very well," he grudgingly relented. "You are certain your Kotharat will care properly for her?"

"After your lowly lo'taur, I am certain anyone would have better qualifications," Astarte argued condescendingly. "I have trained the Kotharat myself; they would not have lived were they not qualified. E'kibe and Ki'fi are also able to pass on naquadah to the infant when feeding her."

"My Lady, the canisters have been transported to the ha'tak," Saied reported formally.

"Well done," she nodded waving with her hand for him to leave. "Ensure our shields are working optimal."

"Of course, my Lady," he bowed and left for the corridors.

Smirking, Ba'al stood up and walked closer towards the window. "What of their guards?" He asked, observing his own abandoned ship.

"I have brought four squads of Elite Jaffa to guard the Kotharat while aboard my ship. My Seraphim are in the cargo hold, ready to guard them and the child when we land on a planet."

Impressed, he glanced over his shoulder to observe. "I was unaware of their presence."

"I cannot allow the Seraphim to roam the corridors freely; they must remain secured, therefore I have only brought ten with me."

"There will be more guarding Ba'alat. I will ensure she appoints some of her own to guard the child when we reach our destination."

* * *

"Did you get everything?" Jack asked the gray alien.

"I have transported all the items your team mentioned," Thor replied curtly.

"Shields have been raised," Heimdall reported, consulting his readings. "The Jaffa have followed suit."

"Great, then let's get the hell out of dodge," Jack exclaimed, not able to stand it much longer.

Shuffling on his feet, Daniel frowned. "Shouldn't we wait to make sure all of Ba'al's Jaffa get transported off the ha'tak? Maybe the Free Jaffa need our help."

" _Colonel Carter_ ," Ishta's voice sounded through the comms.

"This is O'Neill," Jack barked into the communication stone, now that his wife was transferring the copied data onto a computer in their quarters, needing some peace and quiet with her dominating headache.

" _O'Neill, Ba'al has transported canisters of symbiote poison aboard."_

"Oy," he muttered, walking over to Thor. "Hey buddy, can you target the last remaining Jaffa and beam them aboard Aron's ship?"

"I shall endeavor to do so, O'Neill."

He nodded and looked at the screen where Thor was locating the present life signs. "Ishta, Thor will transport as many Jaffa as possible aboard Aron's ship. Prepare yourselves."

" _Thank you, O'Neill_ ," she replied softly.

"A good thing we hadn't jumped into hyperspace yet," Daniel muttered, also watching the screens that showed less and less yellow signals. He could only hope it was because of the Asgard beaming them out and not them perishing from the effects of the poison.

"I am detecting disturbances from the other side of the mine field," Heimdall announced. "It appears the cloaked vessel is still present and preparing to leave."

"Can we track them?" Jack pounced on the possibility.

Thor shook his head minutely. "We cannot, unless we forego the rescue of the Jaffa."

"Goddammit," he cursed, slamming his fist down on a console. "That slimy son of a bitch," Jack groaned, knowing Ba'al had done it on purpose. He'd never leave a man – be that human, Jaffa or another befriended race – behind, but now it meant he was leaving his child behind with that snakehead. He grimaced when a hyperspace window formed and three ha'tak vessels uncloaked, disappearing into the window, taking off with his child!

"Jack, we'll find your daughter," Daniel tried to reassure him.

"What?"

Wringing his hands, he shrugged uncomfortably at his friend. "The ah… Goa'uld, she said the baby was a girl," he cautiously reminded him.

"I don't believe a flying fuck that comes out of that crazy snakehead's mouth," Jack exclaimed angrily, before stalking off.

Janet winced at his outburst, but couldn't really fault him with everything that was going on. She herself was close to cursing and swearing for letting her best friend's baby get away again! "Just let him be for a while Daniel," she grabbed his arm, intent on stopping him from following the general.

"The transfer of the Jaffa has been completed," Thor reported after processing O'Neill's uncharacteristic behavior. "We shall set course to Dakara." He continued to work on his console, transmitting the route to the ha'taks of the Jaffa Nation before engaging in hyperdrive.

Heimdall stepped forward, ensuring all systems were fully operational. "The explosion from the ha'tak alone will send a powerful energized matter shock wave which could possibly damage our vessel."

"But not now that we're in hyperdrive right?" Daniel asked cautiously.

"I am unsure," he replied evenly. "The self-destruct might trigger a chain explosion from the mine field and we are not aware of the full extent of the damage. However, I am hopeful we will remain unharmed."

* * *

"Do you know where Jack is?" Daniel asked, glancing around the room.

Janet looked up from the console and shrugged. "I think the General stormed off to go spar with Teal'c."

"Oh," he replied, taking off his glasses to rub at his eyes. He'd been staring at the information procured from Ba'al's ship for too long and had decided a break was in order, so he'd gone looking for Jack. He had been unable to find him, though and decided to head back. "Sam was resting in their quarters and she'd finally fallen asleep so I didn't disturb her."

"That's good," she mumbled absentmindedly, concentrating on her work.

Daniel frowned and replaced his glasses, making his way over to where she was standing. "What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for Heimdall so we can continue our analysis," she replied, gesturing towards the screen. "You don't happen to be able to read it, right?"

"Read, yes," he nodded, peering at the data, "understand, no." Swiveling on his feet, Daniel noticed the maxi cosi and some other baby items on the scanning platform. "What are you looking for?"

Walking over to the items, Janet smirked. "Well, we know a baby will put anything in its mouth and they drool a lot as well," she explained, pointing at some toys and the child seat. "I also found some short caramel colored hairs and suggested to Heimdall that we scan these for traces of DNA. At least that way we can confirm the sex for the General and Sam, making sure that the Goa'uld was speaking the truth or not."

"That's great," Daniel smiled enthusiastically, his eyes almost disappearing behind his glasses.

"Indeed it is," Heimdall confirmed as he stepped over the threshold. "If we can extract the genetic material of O'Neill's offspring it is possible we can use our sensors to scan ha'tak vessels or perhaps even the surface of a planet for its presence."

Janet turned around at hearing his voice, surprised he was back already. "How was dinner?"

"Nutritious," he replied curtly, padding over to the console.

"That's good," she mumbled, wondering why she even bothered to ask. "Did the method work?" Then, turning back to Daniel she tried to explain. "The Asgard usually work with DNA samples from blood or by scanning a live specimen, so we had to improvise a bit to extract it from the fluids and hairs found on the items…."

Daniel nodded in understanding and decided not to comment upon the fact that it made sense since the Asgard didn't  _have_  hair. "Well, let's hope it worked."

"The procedure was successful," Heimdall reported as he interpreted the results of the analysis. "I have compared the various genetic profiles found with earlier acquired samples of Colonel Carter and O'Neill. One match is found, indicating that their offspring is indeed a healthy Tau'ri female and carrier of the Ancient gene."

"Wonderful," Daniel grinned, happy to hear that for once the Goa'uld had not been lying. Now, all he had to do was tell Jack and Sam…

Janet bobbed her head in agreement and turned to the gray alien. "It's great, really. Hopefully we can find some of Ba'al's hideouts and use the DNA sample to scan for her presence. It would certainly ease our search. Did the hair belong to the girl too?"

"Indeed."

Rubbing his hands together, Daniel pensively stared at the screen. "So, what do we know? The baby is a girl, carrier of the ATA gene, has brownish hair…"

"Is able to carry and apparently process naquadah," Janet added, remembering what the Asgard had said about the baby's life sign.

Studying the genetic profile further, Heimdall spoke up. "It appears O'Neill passed on a recessive allele for the female's eye color."

"What does that mean?" Daniel asked, scrunching up his nose, almost dislodging his glasses as he peered at the screen.

Janet shrugged, taking a closer look at the highlighted gene. "An allele is one of a pair of genes that together are responsible for hereditary variation," she tried to explain. "One can be dominant over the other, like brown over the recessive blue in eye color. So someone with brown eyes can have an allele for brown eyes and one for a recessive color, making them heterozygote for eye color or have two of the same alleles which is called being homozygous. Sam, for instance, like yourself has blue eyes. Since blue is recessive that means she has two alleles for blue eyes and will always pass on a blue allele to offspring. In this case, General O'Neill is apparently heterozygous for brown eyes and according to these readings, their daughter has two recessive blue alleles, one from him and one from Sam. So we know she has caramel-colored hair with blue eyes," she concluded with a grin.

"Wow, that's great," he exclaimed. "I'd better go look for him and Sam to tell them."

* * *

"Perhaps a recess is in order," Teal'c suggested as he stepped back.

Jack shook his head. "Nah, keep going."

"O'Neill, you must not overexert yourself," he warned his friend. It was clear O'Neill was greatly affected by today's events and instead of improving his state of mind, Daniel Jackson's news appeared to have done the opposite.

If anything, Jack wanted to keep on going, keep on sparring to vent his frustrations. "I'm fine," he panted, rubbing the sweat of his brow with his arm.  _Does Daniel really think knowing Ba'al has my brown-haired, blue-eyed daughter with him traveling to god knows where to do god knows what will make me feel better?_  "C'mon T, are you afraid I'm gonna kick your ass?"

"I am not," Teal'c replied evenly, feeling rather refreshed compared to O'Neill. "I do not wish to inflict more harm on you. Colonel Carter might not be pleased."

"Chicken," he retorted, bringing his hands up for another round, daring his buddy to deny him. As long as he was sparring with Teal'c he didn't have time to think of all the things that had gone wrong today, how he let those slimy snakes slip through his fingers and crushed Sam's hopes by returning without their baby, their  _daughter_. He was glad that when he'd gone to check on her earlier she'd been fast asleep, the day's events and her headache tiring her enough for a catnap. That way he didn't have to face her, not yet at least.

Having no idea how to explain this to her, how he could have failed her and their daughter so much Jack had told Daniel to bring his news to Sam.  _If anyone is a chicken, it's me_ , he thought grimly. He knew he should be out there, looking for their little girl because he wasn't sure how he could face his wife without her, how to overcome losing another child. But where should he start? They were on their way to Dakara, for crying out loud! Probably the total opposite direction of where Ba'al and his girlfriend had gone.

Teal'c raised his brow as he took up his position. "I am not a domesticated fowl, O'Neill nor do I lack courage."

"Good," he grunted, trying to shake his thoughts as he lunged forwards.

Evading the poorly concealed attack with ease, Teal'c countered with a swift strike, making his brother-in-arms fall to the floor. "Perhaps we should exchange this activity for one less dangerous."

Dusting off his six, Jack slowly stood and assessed his bloody nose. "I'm fine," he tried to reassure the Jaffa. "Just gonna clean this up," motioning towards his nose, he looked around for a towel or something.

"I will escort you to the infirmary," Teal'c announced, roughly pushing his friend towards the doorway. At times he enjoyed striking O'Neill down, but today he felt nothing but sympathy for his former commander. Although he empathized with O'Neill's situation, he did not intend to allow the Tau'ri to work himself into exhaustion and thereby making himself unavailable to comfort Colonel Carter. If that meant forcing his friend to cease his current activities by inflicting slight bodily harm then so be it. "Doctor Fraiser will assess the injury and treat it accordingly."

Jack muttered something incomprehensible under his breath, cursing Teal'c's physical condition and the fact that the Jaffa hardly broke a sweat and yet his own shirt was clinging to his torso. His breathing hadn't returned back to normal yet, either and now with blood running down his nose he didn't intend to try to get it back under control. "Fine," he relented, rolling his eyes at the prospect of Napoleon poking and prodding his sore nose. She'd probably get her penlight and big needles out, even though his eyesight was just fine nor was there anything wrong that needed a jab in his butt.

* * *

"Hey Sam," Daniel greeted softly when his friend appeared in the doorway of their 'lounge'. "How are you?" He'd been given the task of informing her about Janet's discovery regarding the baby and once he'd told her she'd requested he'd leave her alone because she needed to think. She'd practically been holed up in her quarters since they had returned from Ba'al's ha'tak – which should have exploded by now but luckily their ship hadn't been affected – and he hadn't really expected to see her again today.

"Fine, considering," she mumbled, padding over to a sofa near his table and the chair Janet was sitting in. "Where's Jack?"

He shrugged, putting a bookmark between the pages he'd been reading before closing the book. "I think he was talking to Thor."

"I haven't seen the General since patching up his nose," Janet shrugged when they both looked at her.

"What was wrong with his nose?" Sam asked, alarmed that he hadn't told her.

"Nothing serious," she quickly replied, looking at her friend with a small smile. "He'd received a punch from Teal'c during their sparring. I guess Teal'c thought it was the only way to get him to quit."

Reassured, Sam nodded and plopped down on the sofa. "Okay. What about Teal'c?"

"Last I heard he was communicating with the Jaffa on the two ha'taks, inquiring about the interrogation of Ba'al's Jaffa."

"Still is," Jack chimed in as he and Thor entered the room. He turned his head away when Sam greeted him with a small smile, still unable to look her in the eye after his failing. "Thor wanted to go over what we know of Ba'al's girlfriend and what happened on the ship."

"I am hopeful we will be able to establish the Goa'uld's identity or in the very least have a slight indication of where to continue our search," Thor elaborated.

Shifting on his chair, Daniel screwed up his face. "Well, when I confronted her with possible identities she indicated one was correct."

"Which did you name?" Janet asked, straightening in her chair to reach for her cup of water.

"Ah… Anat, Astarte, Astoreth, Asherah and Ba'alat," he grimaced uncomfortably.

Swallowing, she nodded pensively. "Well, we've already established she and Ba'al are lovers-"

"Yes, she didn't deny being his mate!" Daniel cried out.

"–so that wouldn't jibe with what we know of Goa'uld Queens, right?" She continued, ignoring his interruption. "They would also be held in a secure location, not on Ba'al's ship."

"Yeah, so?" Jack asked, not really interested.

"Well, with knowing what we know of the Goa'uld we can interpret from the myths surrounding Ba'alat that she  _is_  a Queen," Daniel explained. "So, that wouldn't be her. Anat and Astarte are probably our best guess," he added.

Rolling his eyes, Jack motioned for him to continue. "Great, so it's one of them. How does that help us?"

"Did you see the amulet she was wearing, Jack?"

"Sorry, I was a bit distracted by the fact that she was blocking the only way leading to my kid, Daniel!"

Sam quickly stood and walked over to him, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Jack," she tried to calm him somewhat.

He shrugged her hand from him and stalked over to Daniel's table, covered in books, to take a seat. "What about the amulet?" he asked in a softer tone, scrubbing his face with his hand.

"See this?" Daniel asked, holding up one of his books, showing him the cover. "That's the symbol for Astarte, Virgin Mary, Kali, Ashtoreth, Ishtar… anyway, if you compare it with these symbols," he flipped open two books, searching for the proper bookmark, "you can see that it looks a bit like the one for Anat and Astarte. We know that Ashtoreth or Asherah are often used for Anat and Astarte together, they merged to one goddess for some reason. It could mean that something of their mythology could give us a hint to their whereabouts."

"Like that planet Teal'c's Jaffa mentioned," he guessed aloud.

"Kadesh, yes!" he exclaimed, bobbing his head.

"Once we have delivered the Jaffa on Dakara we will travel to the Ida Galaxy to consult our database for more information," Thor promised. "The Tau'ri have supported the Asgard on many occasions, we feel it is now time to reciprocate. Therefore, we will help you in your search for the infant."

Sam gave him a small smile, nodding her head in gratitude. "Thank you, Thor, we appreciate it."

"Look," Jack sighed, shoving some of Daniel's books out of the way, "no matter what the snake's name is, it doesn't explain that shield of hers."

Thor inclined his head in understanding. "Indeed, I have consulted the vast knowledge stored in the Asgard computer system of this ship and I came across one possibility. However, it was a technology created by the Ancients and does not function like those of the Goa'uld."

"Well, this didn't function like a normal Goa'uld shield either," Daniel argued. "I mean, it seemed to be activated by her ribbon device but whatever Jack did, it didn't seem to have an effect on her."

Walking over to a console, Thor conjured up the design of the Goa'uld ribbon device. "This device can activate a personal shield, however its effectiveness is directly proportional to the amount of kinetic energy used. Your primitive projectile weapons would have no effect on them but slower moving projectiles or objects such as knives and arrows could penetrate it. What did the Goa'uld's shield look like?"

"Dark yellow," Daniel replied immediately.

"Green yellow…ish," Jack said simultaneously. Frowning, he glared at Daniel. "It was more greenish than yellow. Like peridot."

Rolling his eyes, he dragged a hand through his hair. "I'm not sure… could've had a greenish tint to it."

"Did the Goa'uld posses an emitter?"

"I'm not sure, buddy," Jack told the Asgard. "I thought it was activated by her ribbon device, why?"

"The Ancients' personal shield requires an emitter. I estimated it would be the size of your palm and this would envelop them in a protective layer, diffusing all forms of energy," he explained patiently to the Tau'ri. "It is green."

Jack shrugged and glanced at the screen, which now showed the green personal shield emitter next to the ribbon device. "I don't know, it wasn't that green. But it wasn't that yellow either."

Daniel peered at the design as well. "I don't remember seeing something that size either. But the shield was definitely more advanced than what we've encountered with Apophis and Heru'ur. The Goa'uld tried to fool us at first, making Jack believe that she was actually affected… but she then laughed it off, praising her upgraded shield."

"I could've sworn she was suffocating," Jack growled, still furious with what had happened. He had his hands around her tanned neck, squeezing with all his might but it had been of no use. He hadn't even been able to injure her by shooting a gun to her head!

Sam gasped, her fingers coming up to cover her mouth. "Oh god," she whispered, walking over to the screen. "I remember this…"

"What are you talking about, Sam?" Daniel questioned, confused. "We've never seen that before."

"Atlantis," she muttered, moving to the console to access the schematics of the design. "Does that make any sense?"

"McKay," Jack groaned, throwing his hands up. "There was a report from McKay about some sort of shield they found at Atlantis, about six months before you went missing."

"Atlantis?" She questioned again, her mind still fuzzy.

"An Ancient city-ship in the Pegasus Galaxy," Daniel informed her. "We have an expedition there."

Rubbing the back of his neck, Jack shook his head. "But that still doesn't explain this. I only skimmed McKay's blabbering report but it wasn't the same as the Goa'uld had. Besides, it needed to be initialized by the ATA gene, so even if they somehow got it from Anubis they couldn't activate it." he gave Daniel a blank look when his friend raised a brow about him not reading the report thoroughly. Like he would understand anything that smarmy scientist reported – Jack knew McKay did it on purpose, so he ignored most of his reports and just read the summary.

"I did it," Sam whispered, still stunned.

"You did what, Colonel Carter?" Thor asked, voicing his confusion over this Tau'ri conversation. He was not accustomed to large group gatherings and during meetings of the Asgard High Council everyone spoke in their turn. The Tau'ri did not.

Slumping down on the couch, she rested her head in her hands. "I activated the shield and I interfaced it with the ribbon device."

"Ah, no offense Carter, but you  _couldn't_  activate the shield without the ATA gene," Jack tried to reassure her.

"Maybe," Janet spoke up, having an epiphany, "Sam was able to work on Ancient tech because of the baby! We already know the baby has the ATA gene so Ba'al could have easily used her to work on it."

"Most intriguing," Thor commented.

Sighing, Sam sat up and looked at Jack with a pained expression on her face. "I remember working on it with another woman… a Goa'uld, I think because I got that sickening feeling in my stomach whenever she was near."

"Lemme guess," he huffed, "about five nine, brown curls, pretty face, tanned skin-"

"Black hair, long and straight," she shook her hair, recalling the face. "She was a few inches shorter than me."

Daniel raised his eyebrows in surprise, his mind racing already. "So that would mean there is someone else, perhaps a more technology orientated Goa'uld working with Ba'al."

"The kinetic shield of the kara'kesh," Sam patted her wrist, "had proven to be unreliable due to previous encounters and was draining too much energy for something that wasn't entirely safe," she recalled aloud. "The green shield was airtight and had its own power source, but she was unable to activate it. I easily activated it and then we integrated the emitter into the kara'kesh, using naquadah as a shared power source. That way, it wouldn't deplete so fast and could still work if the original battery died."

"Great, just great," Jack muttered. If Carter was able to perfect Ancient technology it probably meant there was no way to deactivate it! Airtight, or skintight as it had appeared to him, certainly explained why he thought he could feel the host's neck under his palms and yet was unable to strangle her. "How does the Ancient shield work?"

"Through mental control," Thor supplied. "Only with the mind it could deactivate as long as there is enough power. However, an obstruction could prevent the user from breathing, leading to their death."

"How would you do that if strangling doesn't work?" Daniel questioned, looking at Jack and Sam. He wasn't trained to kill people after all.

Jack felt like smacking his head for his stupidity. He had been  _this_  close, he could have ended her! Groaning, he started pacing up and down the room, ignoring the questioning looks from the others.

"Suffocation or drowning," Janet answered instead. "And by suffocation I mean obstructing the mouth. Drowning or obstruction wouldn't allow oxygen to pass through the shield and not even the Goa'uld can live without oxygen."

Seeing Jack's agitation and feeling responsible for it, Sam slowly stood. "I'm going back to my quarters if you guys don't mind," she spoke softly, her eyes lingering on her husband – who didn't look at her – before she walked away, not waiting for a reply. It was obvious that Jack resented her for her work, for not remembering sooner so she could have told him about the shield!

 


	43. Processing

"Master Garshaw!"

Yosuuf turned towards the guard and dipped her head, allowing her symbiote to surface. "Yes?"

He bowed his head in respect as he stopped in front of the grand counsel. "The Chief of Security has sent me; a ship has just emerged from hyperspace."

"Where is the ship heading?" Her head automatically turned to look out the window of the new building assigned to the Tok'ra High Council. "Is it coursing towards us?"

"It appears so."

Standing, she strode over to her console to access the security network. "Kree shac," she muttered, realizing the guard was correct. With the fall of the System Lords they had finally taken their righteous place on the surface of their new homeworld. Now, more than ever, they were vulnerable from an attack from orbit. "Has the ship been identified?"

"It has not," Malek responded, joining them in the chambers. "It does not appear to be Goa'uld."

"I had not expected Ba'al to have the audacity to attack us now," she replied curtly, relieved on the inside.

Cocking his head in understanding, he waited a beat. "It appears much larger, possibly twice the size of a ha'tak vessel."

"Not the Tau'ri then, either," Garshaw replied, sighing. She had not been comfortable lying to the Tau'ri; after all they were still allies. But it had to be done as the High Council had decided. They could not afford their operatives to be unmasked due to their interference now that they had finally been able to reach the higher ranks of Ba'al. "Have you activated the defense systems?"

"I have," Malek acknowledged. "Our weapons will lock on the ship once in reach."

"Very well," she nodded sharply, frowning at the screen. Their defenses had not been needed up until this moment and although they had tested them, she was still apprehensive. Looking around, her eyes fell upon Jalen. "Jalen, please inform Supreme High Councilor Per'sus of the approaching vessel."

"Of course," she replied, quickly turning around to warn him.

Malek stepped forward, reaching for the console. "Master Garshaw, if you allow me." With her inclined acknowledgement, he adjusted the system to get a clear visual of the ship. "Kree no tel, Reenlokia," he gasped, recognizing the futuristic designs.

Surprised, Garshaw shoved him aside to see for herself. "We have not yet encountered the Asgard before," she mumbled in response. "Surely they are aware of our alliance with the Tau'ri?"

"One would assume," he replied hesitantly. "They have often collaborated with the Asgard and Selmak and Jacob Carter have accompanied them on joint missions as well."

"Indeed, it were Selmak and Jacob Carter who helped the Tau'ri retrieve the mind of the Asgard Thor from Anubis' ship," she said, feeling far more confident. "I shall attempt to contact them."

Malek cast a sideway glance at the Grand Counsel and nodded slowly. "Should we not wait for the Supreme High Councilor?"

"I will not," she stated succinctly, before opening communications. "Onak sha kree, shel Goa'uld?"

"Shin tel?" Per'sus questioned what had happened as he and Thoran entered the room together, immediately walking over to the console as well.

Once again repeating their password question, Garshaw shrugged closing the line. "We were unable to contact the approaching Asgard vessel."

"Reenlokia?" He inquired. "How are they aware of our planet?"

"We are unsure," Malek replied. "Not even all our operatives are aware of our new base and none of our allies."

Thoran peered at the screen, noticing the vessel seemed intent on reaching the surface of their planet. "Have our defenses been activated?"

"They have, once the ship breaches the orbit the weapons will lock," Malek informed them.

Conferring his host, Per'sus dipped his head before looking up and exchanging glances with Garshaw. "I will contact them," he announced. "We are not capable of defending ourselves against an Asgard vessel, not since several centuries," he added, before  
opening the communications. "This is Supreme High Councilor Per'sus of the Tok'ra, identify yourselves before our defenses will activate. I shall repeat; our defenses are activated and we will fire upon you if you do not identify yourself."

After a long silence they all kept their eyes trained on the visual of the defense system, watching as the weapons locked… and fired.

"The energy impacted the shield… no damage," Malek reported, breaking the silence. "I have accessed the information submitted by Selmak in the subspace network; it appears this vessel is one of the  _O'Neill_  class. It has one of the most sophisticated shielding technologies. Its weapons are capable of destroying the upgraded ha'taks of Anubis by letting the ion bolts bypass the shields."

"It appears the vessel will be landing," Garshaw remarked when the Asgard ship descended from the sky, now visible by looking out the window. Suddenly, four powerful beams of light came from the ship, momentarily blinding her. "What has occurred?"

"The weapons have been rendered useless," Per'sus informed her, after consulting the security system.

* * *

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Janet quietly asked the Asgard next to her.

Thor leaned his head back to look up at the petite Tau'ri doctor. "I am not. However, O'Neill has expressed his desire to do this. I believe he used the phrase; one way or another."

Overhearing their conversation as he walked into the bridge, Jack huffed. "You just stay here and look after Carter, Doc," he ordered as he grabbed one of the Asgard stones and stuffed it into his pocket, making the black BDUs he was wearing bulge slightly on one side. "I think she's on her way over here."

"Yes Sir," Janet responded, slightly irked.

"Thor, remember what we agreed; you just keep an eye on things here in case Danny Boy or Teal'c contacts us. They should have arrived on Dakara by now with the Free Jaffa," Jack added, turning towards the gray alien. "Heimdall said he was going to check out Carter again, make a new scan since her headaches are persisting… I'm just going to drop by our Tok'ra friends for a quick visit. Just ignore their calls of communication."

Still not completely agreeing with his plan, Janet pursed her lips together to prevent herself from speaking up again. She'd already tried, Daniel had already tried and even Thor had! Since discovering Ba'al and the other Goa'uld had escaped with the baby, General O'Neill had gotten… quieter. He'd hardly said a word to his wife and Sam had been avoiding him as well, which worried her. She knew all about the General's past and knew that he was more dangerous the quieter he got. Obviously, he was blaming himself for what happened and knowing her best friend, Sam probably thought he blamed her. Samantha Carter might be a genius – with or without her memories she was obviously highly intelligent – but when it came to emotions… it wasn't her strong point and with the way she always felt responsible for everything, Janet could only imagine the amount of guilt she was carrying around.  _No wonder her head hurts_ , she thought to herself. "Good luck, Sir," she mumbled.

Jack gave a curt nod and reached out to grab the Asgard hand device Thor was allowing him to use. "I'll be back," he practically growled and activated the beaming transport. With a brief flash of light, he was transported down on the surface of the planet. He had observed the city during their descent and, judging by the people present in this room, he had chosen the right building.

"O'Neill, it is you," Jalen stated, surprised to see their Tau'ri ally coming out of the Asgard ship.

"Yeah," he barked, glaring at her. "Where's Persy?"

"Supreme High Councilor Per'sus attempted to communicate with you, but you did not respond," Sina replied, ignoring his question.

Turning his head, he scowled at the other woman. "Where is he? I want to see the High Council!"

" _I_  am part of the Tok'ra High Council now," she informed him haughtily, rising from her seat.

"Of course you are," Jack snarled, "with all those deaths, I'm surprised there still  _is_  a High Council. Now, take me to your leader before I will look for him myself," he added, clenching his P-90.

Seeing the motion, Jalen nodded. "Very well, I will lead the way. Follow me," she also gestured towards the guards, ensuring her safety. It was obvious O'Neill was disturbed and unreasonable.

Not missing a beat, he followed her, not even bothering to tell the guards off as they reached for his weapon. Like hell he was going to hand it over to these snakeheads! They turned the corner and headed up some steps, before arriving in a much larger chamber where several high-ranking Tok'ra were standing around a console. "Howdy folks," he greeted sarcastically, smirking when their heads snapped into his direction.

"O'Neill was transported from the vessel into our chambers," Sina stated in a loud voice, pushing past the Tau'ri to join her fellow council members as everyone started murmuring.

"Where's Paris?" Jack asked, glaring around the room until his eyes fell on Garshaw. "I thought you said he was here," he barked, turning to Jalen as he moved the P-90 in his hands.

"Supreme High Councilor Per'sus has been secreted away as we feared an attack when the Asgard vessel did not respond to our communications and disabled our weapons." Stepping forward, Garshaw waved away one of the guards surrounding the Tau'ri. "O'Neill, what has brought you here? How did you know where we were?"

Not in the least intimidated by her, he took a step closer and ignored the raising of zats and staff weapons. "I want some answers and if Pussy went into hiding like a scared little girl then  _you_  can give them to me."

"What kind of answers?"

"Oh, I don't know," Jack said mockingly, waving his hands – and P-90 – around. "Maybe something about why you wanted us to back off Ba'al, while he was the one who abducted  _my_  wife and has  _my_  child," he hissed in a low tone, pointing his finger at the grand counsel.

Thoran left his position at the console and decided to join Grand Counsel Garshaw in her conversation with O'Neill. "You have a most peculiar way of inquiring, O'Neill," he scolded the Tau'ri. "It has already been explained in our previous meeting at Stargate Command that we do not want the Tau'ri to thwart our mission of capturing Ba'al."

"You already gave me all that crap and now I want the truth," he demanded.

"It was merely a decision of the High Council," Garshaw replied cautiously as the man narrowed his eyes at her. She was well aware of his reputation and that he was extremely loyal to the Tau'ri, yet she had not seen this dark side of him before. "We have already informed you and your people." Glancing at the others present, she waved her hand. "Leave us."

"And what do you know, you," Jack pointed at the Tok'ra who remained while the rest left the room, "are all part of the High Council. Now, I want to know what the hell Raully or whatever her name was doing in Ba'al's ranks and why your buddy Delek crossed sides."

Nearly bristling, her eyes glowed furiously and her symbiote voice was raised. "That is preposterous! Your accusations are most unfounded and you seem to be forgetting that we are allies, O'Neill."

"Oh,  _I_  seem to be forgetting that? Every time you came to us to complete one of your failed missions, we came through for you but whenever we need something, you're nowhere to be found," he hissed, getting angrier by the second.

"We have worked successfully on several occasions," Sina said calmly, attempting to reduce the tension between them. "We have shared information with the Tau'ri and have upheld our part of the treaty."

Agreeing, Thoran nodded slowly, regarding O'Neill. "We were within our rights to request you desist in your crusade and instead you did not hear us out. Now you have the audacity to come unannounced to our planet, threatening us and demanding answers we have already provided? Even insult our kind with unfounded accusations!"

"Your actions are threatening the continuance of the Tau'ri/Tok'ra-treaty," Garshaw coolly informed him.

Jack let out a humorless chuckle, shaking his head. "You think I give a fuck about the treaty? Hell, I can count the things you've done to help us out on my fingers – on one hand when it wasn't your fault to begin with!"

"It is clear you do not trust us, O'Neill," Malek spoke up. "Why not leave before we have to inform your leaders of your behavior?"

Turning to the smarmy Tok'ra, he raised his brows. "Leave? Not before you tell me what happened to my wife on Ba'al's ship-"

Thoran narrowed his eyes, shaking his head. "We do not know. We were not present at-"

"Don't give me that crap!" Jack exclaimed, reaching down to grab the Asgard hand device. "Didn't I tell you I came bearing gifts?" he asked with a fake smile.

Confused, Garshaw wanted to question his words but suddenly a bright light shone and when it was gone, Thina host to Mingala – or Raully as one of her aliases was – was lying on the floor. "What have you done?"

"Me? I haven't done anything," he defended himself. "She was aboard Ba'al's ship, his girlfriend killed her."

"So you claim," Sina countered warily. "Yet you are alive and she is not."

Jack shrugged. "What can I say? Somehow it's always you guys that die, leaving us to save the day. Not my fault you royally suck at what you do."

Looking down at her longtime friend, Garshaw kneeled to examine the wound. "You could not save her?"

"Look at the hole in her abdomen, there was nothing we could do… not until the shields had been disabled and by then it was too late," he replied in a softer tone, feeling some of his anger ebb as he watched her process her friend's death.

"We appreciate you returning her body," Thoran said slowly. "However, that does not condone your actions and behavior."

"Councilor Thoran is correct," Sina confirmed silently.

Clenching his fists, Jack looked at their faces. None of them seemed to care about losing one of their own except for Garshaw. "Raully told me you knew all along about Carter. My wife was there for months and you did nothing," he accused them in a low, dangerous tone.

"We did not know, O'Neill," Garshaw replied as she stood, completely confused. "She was not undercover in Ba'al's ranks."

"But she was," he countered. Seeing Thoran's expression, Jack felt his anger rise again and he lunged forward. "You better tell me before you will end up like her," he jerked his head towards the dead body of Raully.

"O'Neill, I must insist you desist," Malek warned him, raising a weapon at the Tau'ri who was holding Thoran up against a wall.

Jack barely glanced at him, instead tightening his hold on Thoran. "Tell me what Ba'al did. Where he took my child. What he did to my wife. Wh-"

"This is not how you treat your allies," Sina warned him. "I must recommend we disband-"

"Like I said," he barked at her, "I don't give a fuck about the goddamn treaty! Now, someone here is going to tell me what I want to know. What was Raully's mission? Why did you allow Delek to be part of your delegation to Earth while he was in cahoots with Ba'al and-"

Affronted, Garshaw walked over to him. "We did not. Delek is following a lead about the clones and Raully was not assigned-"

"Spare me the lies," Jack retorted. "We know what their original missions were, their covers. We already checked your secret subspace network. Yeah, I bet you didn't know we knew about that, huh?"

"That is not possible," Sina gasped. They had never shared such information with the Tau'ri, with no one but their own!

"Release me, O'Neill," Thoran exclaimed, grabbing the Tau'ri's wrists. "The treaty-"

"Screw the treaty!"

Activating his zat'nik'tel, Malek aimed it at O'Neill. "Surely you must know one of the others has already contacted your planet to inform your leaders-"

"Shoot me and Thor will destroy this planet." With a smooth move, Jack let go of Thoran and with a swift turn easily disarmed Malek. "I don't care about the treaty, about the SGC, about my job… My kid is out there, with Ba'al! You know where he is, you know what he has done to my wife! You have known from the moment she was abducted and you didn't lift a finger to help her! I've already lost one child, I'm not going through that again," he yelled. "Been there, done that, the marriage doesn't survive!"

"Hol mel!" Garshaw ordered when she saw Thoran aim a zat'nik'tel at O'Neill. "He speaks the truth, does he not?" She questioned the man she had called a friend for decades. The raw pain in O'Neill's eyes and his conviction were true. "You will tell me, Thoran," she warned him, her eyes glowing menacingly. "Bring me a memory recall device," she told Sina, "and prepare a Zatarc tester."

"You didn't know," Jack growled, still angry but slowly realizing she had been telling the truth.

Ashamed, she dipped her head, lowering her eyes. "I did not," she admitted. "Had I known about Colonel Carter I would have insisted-"

"That is exactly why you were not told," Thoran exclaimed, interrupting her. "We do not owe the Tau'ri nor are we obliged to help such an inferior race!"

* * *

Eating his dinner, Daniel glanced at Bra'tac and Teal'c. They had questioned many of Ba'al's men but most had been afraid to speak and a great deal of his higher-ranking Jaffa had been killed by the symbiote poison – probably the way Ba'al had intended. However, they all seemed to fear the same thing; Deasura. Or the same person, perhaps. It didn't ring a bell but he hadn't had the time to check his books yet and there was a good chance he didn't bring the right books for that. "Kadesh doesn't mean anything to you?"

"It does not, Daniel Jackson," Bra'tac replied, before taking a large gulp of his drink.

"What do you know about Goa'uld Queens? Teal'c told me of an old tale that there is a place where the children of the gods come from, that their mothers are heavily guarded by an elite team."

Peering at his old pupil, he nodded slowly. "Indeed, my father has once told me this tale over a century ago. Powerful serpent-like creatures guard them severely-"

Frowning, Daniel leaned forward. "Serpent… like a Goa'uld?"

"No, fiery serpents, those who guard the abodes of the gods," Bra'tac replied. "It dwells in rivers, lakes and oceans and roams the skies. A king among the animals, long."

"Long? What, its body was long? It had long wings? It had a long name?"

"I do not know," he shrugged with raised eyebrows. "It has been many decades since I have heard the tale."

"I have heard of these flying serpents as well," Teal'c recalled from long ago. "I believe you would call them dragons, Daniel Jackson."

Scratching his head, Daniel blew out a deep breath. "Well, I'm sure they are protected by something very powerful, but a real dragon?"

"Believe what you must," Bra'tac replied. "It was you who wanted to hear the tale."

He relented, holding up his hands. "Okay, I'm sorry. I will look into it. Anything else that might be of help to locate Ba'al or the baby?"

"I do not believe Ba'al's Jaffa will be of further help," Teal'c replied desponded. "Their abilities as warriors was not great and perhaps it is why Ba'al did not trust them."

"They were a disgrace," Bra'tac agreed, reaching for more water.

"Master Bra'tac, Teal'c, Doctor Jackson," Ka'lel greeted them, inclining her head respectfully. "I have inquired with Maz'rai about the planet you were searching for as well as the Goa'uld Queens."

Shuffling to make room, Daniel grabbed another pillow and laid it down. "Have a seat, Ka'lel."

"What have you learned, my sister?"

"One of Mazrai's students came across a scroll mentioning Kadesh but it was not further specified. However, there was an entry for another planet; Gubla. I have brought his notes," she reached into her robes and produced the paper.

Teal'c held out his hands, palms upwards to accept the notations. "Once again we owe you our gratitude."

"I merely wish to help you locate Colonel Carter's child, she and O'Neill have done much for us," Ka'lel responded politely, handing over the paper scroll. "Ral tora Ke, my brother."

"Thanks, we're going to need it," Daniel mumbled, getting up from his cross-legged position.

"We must leave immediately," Teal'c inclined his head as he rose gracefully. "Tal'ma'te."

"Tal'ma'te," the two Jaffa chorused.

Daniel smiled and waved his hand. "Thanks again, bye."

* * *

"It appears most of your memory has returned," Heimdall stated, examining the latest scan of Colonel Carter's brain.

Rubbing her forehead tiredly, Sam nodded. "Most of it, I guess. Just not the personal memories, I don't remember anything from my time at the SGC that  _doesn't_  involve technology of some kind. Personal things, like my friends, my husband… I don't remember anything other than what I have experienced these past few weeks."

"Your memory of the eight months you were missing has not returned yet, either?"

She shook her head, not even bothering to look up.

"As you are aware, I have discussed this with the Asgard Scientific Council and we agree that the anomaly in your brain scan is caused by manipulating of the memories," he explained. "More specifically, targeted removal."

Her head snapped up at that. "What? Are you saying that Ba'al erased my memory?"

"A small part of it," he acknowledged.

" _Small_? A small part of my memories? What about the last eight years of my life?"

Heimdall cocked his head pensively. "It is a mere tenth of your life expectancy."

"For crying out loud!" Sam exclaimed angrily, jumping up. "It's part of who I am, what makes me me! Oh god," she muttered, "how could this happen?"

"We are aware that Ba'al had access to Ancient technology acquired by Anubis. Perhaps he has used a procedure thus far unknown to the Asgard."

Hanging her head, she mumbled something incomprehensible before stalking off.

Confused, Heimdall padded over to the transportation platform to transport himself to the bridge to inform Doctor Fraiser and Thor. As the white light enveloped him, he closed his eyes. Once he opened them, he found Doctor Fraiser and Thor behind a console. "Greetings."

"What have you learned?"

"It appears Colonel Carter's memories have been stolen," Heimdall informed the supreme commander. "She was quite upset when I informed her of this possibility."

Straightening, Janet gaped at him. "You're saying that Ba'al actually removed some of her memories?"

"More precisely, her memories of her life at Stargate Command," he elaborated.

"But Sam remembered a lot of stuff about the gate, naquadah reactors and Ancient technology," she countered.

Patting Doctor Fraiser's arm awkwardly, Thor spoke up. "Ba'al might have accessed her personal memories and experiences to ensure her cooperation."

"I don't understand," Janet said slowly. "It would probably be smarter to threaten those you love."

Heimdall understood what his fellow Asgard was saying. "If you do not remember those you love what reason is there to flee?"

"Colonel Carter did not remember her past life and would therefore not question the lack of familiar people or situations," Thor added.

Now Janet felt a headache of her own coming up. "If she doesn't remember, she doesn't know what she's missing, is that what you're saying?"

"Indeed."

"But she remembered some things of her life, personal things like her father, brother and mother."

"Past events so that I wouldn't have questions of where I came from," Sam said in a sad tone, leaning against the doorway. "I probably shouldn't have been able to remember anything."

Heimdall conjured up the readings of the day before, indicating the blockade that had been in Colonel Carter's brain. "Perhaps the procedure had not been completed."

Janet nodded slowly as she processed this new information. "Maybe they couldn't do it as long as you were carrying the baby. Or because of the amounts of naquadah in your system because of the baby. Besides, threatening to terminate a pregnancy will probably force any mother-to-be to cooperate."


	44. Rift

"You can either have the body or nothing at all," Jack informed Garshaw and the rest of the Tok'ra. "This," he held up the small data crystal they'd found on her, "is coming with me."

"Very well," Garshaw grudgingly relented. She was well aware of how her fellow Tok'ra had mistreated O'Neill and his wife, Colonel Carter after questioning Thoran. O'Neill was not obliged to deliver the body yet he  _had_  done so. The behavior of Delek and Thoran –two trusted High Council members – was despicable and very similar to the Goa'uld. If allowing O'Neill to leave with the data accumulated by Mingala would somehow help him and Colonel Carter in their quest for Ba'al and their own offspring, so be it.

Biting her tongue, Sina watched as O'Neill pocketed the crystal. "We would appreciate it if you would be so kind to inform us of the content," she stated politely. "After all, we are allies and the information gathered by one of our own might prove useful for all involved."

"Yeah, whatever," Jack mumbled as he grabbed the Asgard device to transport him back to the ship. "We'll see," he added before being engulfed into a white light. As he blinked, he found himself on the bridge of Thor's ship with the two Asgard looking at him expectantly.

"O'Neill, have you acquired new information?" Thor asked after the Tau'ri seemed to have re-orientated himself.

Throwing the data crystal from one hand to the other, he shrugged. "Depends on what you can get from this little thingy," he snatched it out of the air and held it up for him to see. "We found it on Raully and I'm guessing it was the only way she could gather information since she hasn't filed any reports or informed anyone of what she was doing aboard Ba'al's ship. It better not be damaged," Jack added menacingly before handing it over to the gray alien.

Heimdall cocked his head as he observed his fellow Asgard checking the crystal before installing it on the computer. "The Tok'ra have heeded your request for additional intelligence?"

"Yeah sure you betcha," he replied sarcastically, still fuming on the inside from the actions of Thoran and Delek. For some bizarre reason both Tok'ra had allied themselves with Ba'al, thinking that their own kind was growing weak and pathetic – or so Thoran claimed. Stepping closer to the console, Jack started browsing through the data obtained from Raully's body. From the glimpses of some of the files, it was obvious that she'd been on the right side. It appeared as though she had grown wary of Delek and had followed him on one of his confidential solo missions. One that led her to Ba'al and his clones months ago.  _I was right_ , he thought,  _she_ was _there when Sam had been abducted and so was that goddamn Delek!_

With Delek being part of the Tok'ra High Council, there was no way someone would believe a mere operative over a council member. Apparently, that was when her investigation started. With the fall of the System Lords and most of the Goa'uld eradicated, the Tok'ra had – unlike in the past – time on their hands, no one would grow suspicious of her taking some time for herself. Only now that she was dead and with his confrontation of the Tok'ra was it clear that Delek had an inside man; Thoran. He should have known that any close and loyal friend to that goddamn Kanan wasn't to be trusted! With Thoran and Delek Ba'al had himself the perfect allies; one Tok'ra on his side to scheme with and another one back at the Tok'ra home planet, also a part of the High Council so they could all be kept in the loop at all times.

"Is there something in particular you are searching for, O'Neill?"

"Thoran said he hadn't been present when Ba'al had his Queen perform the procedure on Carter, but he had heard Athena was. It happens to be that Raully was impersonating Athena, so I'm hoping there is something here in her files that can give us some more information about the procedure and what kind of equipment was used," Jack explained to his companions. "Speaking of Carter, where is she?"

Moving a stone around on his console, Heimdall conjured up the schematics of the ship and set course for Dakara for their meeting with Daniel Jackson and Teal'c. "Colonel Carter and Doctor Fraiser have retreated to what you refer to as the lounge area. Do you wish to call upon them?"

"No!" he hastily replied, still not ready to face his wife empty-handed. "Okay, does this look familiar?" He turned towards Heimdall and Thor after his eyes fell upon some sort of manual and picture of some doohickey. No matter what he liked to pretend, Jack wasn't really as dumb as some might suspect but he wasn't completely fluent in Goa'uld – or Tok'ra dialect – either. However, this definitely seemed like the culprit that had stolen his wife's memories.

"It does not appear to be of Ancient design," Thor stated as he studied the image. "They would not have developed technology for the sole purpose of stealing or manipulating memories."

Heimdall blinked his eyes several times as they took in the information in rapid success, his vast brain processing the implications. "Neither is it Goa'uld made. It does not appear to be based on naquadah. In fact, I would assume the presence of large amounts of naquadah would prevent the device from working properly."

"Call me crazy, but it looks like a modified Zatarc detector," Jack remarked as he highlighted the shape of the base console. "Maybe Thoran and Delek did a little more than simply provide information and scheme plans for galactic domination with Ba'al."

"The smaller separate device appears to amplify the neural activity of the parts of the brain that process memories in the subject," Heimall continued as he went through the details.

"Coin-shaped implant? It's a memory recall device the Tok'ra and the Goa'uld use."

Turning towards the Tau'ri, Thor focused on his weary face. "You have encountered this technology before, O'Neill?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Supreme Commander Thor, is this not the device you have described after escaping from the clutches of Anubis?" Heimdall inquired, accessing the other images installed on the crystal. "A small sphere with extending spikes when activated?"

Thor focused on the screen and recalled the incident that had trapped his mind on Anubis' ha'tak vessel. "Indeed, once it is implanted into the subject's prefrontal cortex a link can be created between the mind and a computer."

"So," Jack grimaced as his eyes glanced over the two screens, "it looks like some sort of Goa'uld/Tok'ra/Anubis-cocktail?"

"You are correct, O'Neill," Heimdall acknowledged with a curt nod. "You said the Tok'ra told you Ba'al's Queen performed the procedure?"

"That I did," he nodded slowly. "Why?"

"The Goa'uld Queen Ba'alat is held in high esteem among her kind for her vast knowledge and learning capabilities," he elaborated.

Thor accessed his console once more to search his database for the Goa'uld. "She is associated with the knowledge of many libraries. However, due to her ambition the System Lords did not allow her to pass on this trait and much of her knowledge for fear of new adversaries."

"But with the System Lords gone and Ba'al having access to her…" Jack purposely let his words trail off. "Thor, you said that the mind probe forms a link between the mind and the computer, do you think they stored Carter's stolen memories somewhere in their database like Anubis did with you?"

"It is possible yet unlikely," Heimdall replied instead. "They could merely remove them."

"Unless they wanted those memories," Jack suggested, realizing he was grasping at straws here.

"I do not see the relevance in preserving memories representing a mere tenth of Colonel Carter's life expectancy."

Narrowing his eyes, Thor focused his attention on O'Neill's suggestion and the possibilities it created. "Yet Ba'al deemed them important enough to be removed."

"Like Carter said, they're part of what makes her her," he shrugged. "They were personal but probably did have an influence on her work."

"Doctor Fraiser hypothesized that Ba'al and his consort felt it necessary to ensure Colonel Carter's presence," Thor theorized aloud. "By removing these personal memories they hoped to achieve that since Colonel Carter would not remember what to fight for and would simply do as told. However, if these memories are important to her thought process it is possible the Goa'uld have stored them on the computer."

Jack pursed his lips in thought, mentally thanking his lucky stars that they made copies of the databases aboard the ha'tak. "Why?"

"According to Daniel Jackson it is not possible for a Goa'uld to control a host who carries an unborn child within," Heimdall explained in a placating manner. "One of Ba'al's clones claimed they had taken Colonel Carter to implant her with a symbiote. Once the infant was born they could achieve that and would not require needless methods to ensure her presence as the Goa'uld would control her."

"Colonel Carter is highly intelligent for a Tau'ri and among our kind she is known for her stupid ideas," Thor added. "To understand her mind the Goa'uld might need the memories taken from her in the first place."

"I'll go look for that doohickey while you rummage through the database for Carter's memories," Jack ordered as he almost ran from the bridge, heading towards the cargo bay where they had transported all the equipment and extra stuff to.

* * *

"Sam, please just think about it," Janet pleaded with her friend.

Pacing in front of the sofa-like piece of furniture the doctor was sitting on, she sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Hypnosis?"

"We already know from previous experience that you are a good candidate for it," she argued, recalling how Doctor Mackenzie had used hypnosis on Sam when they thought Daniel was dead – the first time.

"I don't know," Sam mumbled, furrowing her brow and plopped down next to her.

Janet turned to her friend and, reaching over, grabbed her hand lying on her knee. "What are you afraid of? That it won't work… or that it might?"

Biting her lower lip, she shrugged as a blush crept up her cheeks. "There must be a reason why I don't remember the time I was missing," she said softly. Her friend was right though; did she really want to relive the time she spent with one of their worst enemies? She already knew that she'd helped him create technology, something that was now backfiring on her. According to everyone, she had been missing for almost eight months. Lots of things could happen in eight months, especially when you're a prisoner to some megalomaniac who's had it in for you and those you love for years! What if it  _would_  work? Were there other things she'd done for Ba'al that she normally wouldn't? She couldn't remember being pregnant, but could she go through the memories of giving birth again only to recall what went through her mind when her daughter was taken away from her?

"Well, it seems unlikely that Ba'al removed those memories from you as well since you were almost ready for implantation and the Goa'uld could simply control your mind from then on," Janet replied awkwardly, unable to find words that sounded less harsh. "The other option is that you are repressing those memories in which case the hypnosis could work."

"Repressing is usually a defense mechanism, right?" Sam asked hesitantly. "Jan, what if I'm blocking out these memories for a good reason?"

She shrugged, patting her friend's hand. "Repressed memories usually come out eventually, once you are able to deal with them… we could try it now in a controlled environment or you can take your chances and be struck with memories one, five, ten or even thirty years from now while driving in your car or something."

"Right," Sam huffed, rolling her eyes. "Now you're just trying to scare me."

"Sam-"

"No Janet," she shook her head vehemently, pulling her hand free as she jumped up. "I don't think I  _want_  to remember. What else could I have done? How could I have aided that bastard in creating defenses or maybe even weapons for him? God, if I hadn't worked on that shield… Jack should have been able to take out that female Goa'uld and save our baby!"

* * *

Jack slowed to a halt as he reached the lounge area, on his way down here he had decided to risk face Sam's disappointment – he knew she wouldn't say anything but the look in her eyes would be enough – to ask the two military women for help searching the cargo bay. Who knew, it might even trigger some more memories for his wife and three pairs of eyes went through all that crap a lot faster than he alone. Besides, Sam might even know what to look for once he explained it. Even Doc Fraiser knew what the Zatarc detector and the memory recall devices looked like so this adapted version shouldn't be that hard to recognize if they stumbled across it. He reached out his hands to grasp the doorway – there were no doors for this area – so he could pretend to be all casual about his request and wouldn't have to look Sam in the eye, when he heard her voice.

"… Jack should have been able to take out that female Goa'uld and save our baby!"

 _Oh God_ , he gasped soundlessly and immediately turned on his heels to take cover in the corridor. They hadn't seen him yet, both standing around the couch on the east wall so they wouldn't know he overheard.  _Dammit_ , he cursed to himself, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead in frustration. He knew, he'd known the moment he had to tell her – and the others – that the bitch wouldn't die and there was no way he could get to the baby in time.  _I knew_! Yet, to hear her say it, talk about it to Fraiser – their mutual friend, he might add – was like a kick in the gut… or maybe even a lower region.

Taking a deep breath, Jack soundlessly continued his way down to the cargo bay, determined to not let them know he'd overheard. Obviously, Carter was suffering enough already and she didn't have to know he knew she blamed him. "Hell, it's Carter," he muttered to himself. She'd never tell him to his face. He might look at her and see the disappointment in her eyes or even her face when she was truly upset and unguarded – like she'd been ever since returning – but she would never say it, never rub it in. He huffed, feeling frustrated all over again and quickened his pace.

It didn't take him long to reach the cargo bay, not with the fire of anger burning through his veins. A quick survey of the stuff in here had him pinch the bridge of his nose, before straightening and walking to one corner. Jack pulled on his fingerless gloves just in case there were any sharp pointy objects or cold or hot items that were looking to harm his palms and got started. Most of the stuff on this side looked like crap, unnecessary clutter brought with them to ensure they didn't forget anything before the ship went kaboom. He tossed the non-fragile objects around, searching for something that might be hidden underneath them and could only hope that those tiny memory recall devices were actually attached to or placed with the Zatarc detector-like doohickey.

His mind went back to the Tok'ra planet, to how close he had gotten to squeezing the life out of Thoran. He wasn't proud of the many effective ways he knew how to kill someone and certainly wouldn't teach his daughter – if they ever found her – how lethal one's hands can actually be, but this time it would have given him so much satisfaction. Especially after his failure with that bitch Goa'uld. He had to restrain himself from going through with it with the Tok'ra as Thoran was the only one who could shed some light on what Raully and Delek had been up to with Ba'al. Moving to the next load of crap, Jack snorted softly as he thought of the flashdrive-like crystal he'd found on Raully. True, he did know that Thoran had been in cahoots with Delek as they collaborated with the enemy and some of the things they had learned from Ba'al – nothing that was useful at the moment. Still, he probably would have deduced that from the information that Raully had recorded. And he would have felt much better if he'd been able to snap the neck of Kanan's old pal.

 _God, how can anyone live with themselves knowing that Ba'al has a pregnant Carter in his clutches?_  Jack tossed some of the baby stuff to the previous corner using far more force than necessary as images of what his Carter had to go through came to his mind unbidden. At least it had been somewhat satisfying to see that little snake being extracted from the host. Luckily for him, Garshaw had negated the idea of a full extraction ceremony as this was one of their own who had betrayed him. He had to wonder though, if it had been Thoran the snake or the host who had turned first as neither had passed the Zatarc detector test and both rejected the Tok'ra's causes. Well, that wasn't something he had to worry about any longer. It was just too bad the Tok'ra hadn't allowed him to execute either of them. God knows he could have used some venting.

Coming across even more baby items, Jack got more agitated, anger building inside him as well. That goddamn Ba'al had his little girl and  _he_  or his minions had been out shopping on Earth for baby articles! He himself should have been the one to take Sam shopping, picking out the crib and other furniture together. Fight over the decoration of the baby's room, what color the walls should be. Be there with her when she went into labor, support her throughout the delivery. Discuss the name to give their child…

"Argh!" He growled, throwing an already half-broken jar against the wall. Taking satisfaction in seeing it shatter and fall on the ground into a million pieces… like his heart. What was he doing here anyway? Trying to find some doohickey on the off chance that it _might_  help Carter retrieve her lost memories? Yeah right, like that would happen! He was desperately grasping at straws and he knew it. What good would it do for Carter to even remember? She was probably better off not knowing. No matter how much he loved children, it was obvious he wasn't meant to be a father. How many more hints would he need before he could finally get it through his thick skull? Some people just weren't supposed to be a parent; he'd had his chance and he'd failed. Now, he was failing another child, another wife. Even if they managed to find their baby, Sam would never forgive him for letting her slip through his fingers the first time! At what age would a child be affected by psychological damage? Jack wasn't sure if he wanted to know.

"This is Carter," he mumbled softly to remind himself, now sifting through the crap at a slower pace. She was like a saint and he didn't know what he'd done to get her to marry him. He did know, however, that just like she would never tell him to his face that he failed her, failed their child, that she might be able to forgive him for what happened… like Sara, but a mother could never forget.  _Yeah, maybe it's better that Sam doesn't remember… us. Everything that has happened since we met, she'll probably be better off not knowing, not remembering._ If she didn't remember, it wouldn't be that hard to walk away for her once all this was over. Here he was, searching aimlessly for some magic solution to her memory loss all because he was a selfish bastard. He wanted her to remember him, what they'd gone through to finally end up together. How much they'd been in love before she'd been abducted. He wanted her to remember for him. But what about her? Maybe it would be better to just let her go so she wouldn't have to feel guilty for once this was all over… in the meantime, though, he'd do whatever he can to find their baby – even though he knew they'd never be able to be a normal family.

Would their little girl end up in that dark place in his mind? That locked off space in his heart where Charlie was too? Where he'd buried the memories and feelings of his life with Sara and Charlie. Was that where Sam would end up as well? Even after all this, would he still be able to sometimes forget what had happened? Would their still-nameless daughter join Charlie's memory? If so, would a couple of beers or something stronger still help him forget? As with Charlie, he'd never forgive himself but maybe, just maybe he'd still be able to sometimes forget… Dragging a hand through his hair, Jack knew he could never do that to Carter though. When he'd married Sara he'd been convinced he loved her and maybe he had… but what he felt for Carter was much stronger than that and he couldn't allow himself to drag her down with him, like he had almost done with Sara.

"What is me?" Sam asked quietly, having observed him rummage about after overhearing him mumble to himself. "Jack?" She took a hesitant step closer, still unsure of how to approach him now that she knew he was blaming her for what had happened on Ba'al's ha'tak earlier. Sure, he wouldn't come out and say it, but she knew. She simply  _knew_. The way he evaded her and if by some coincidence they were in the same room, he'd avert his gaze and never look her in the eye. Maybe she shouldn't be here, not right now. She'd probably already done enough… now their daughter was still out there and she herself was a constant reminder to him. Her treacherous behavior when being kept by Ba'al… god, they should probably sue her for treason!

Obviously, this was all weighing very heavily on her husband. How could it not? All of her 'friends' kept telling her how her and Jack were made for each other, how much they loved and respected each other. So much respect between them that they had never even crossed the line, broken the frat regs. They'd kept their distance until a loophole was found. And this is how she repays that. By doing exactly that they had never done for each other – or themselves – for their worst enemy. She had betrayed the Air Force, her country, her planet, her husband… everything they stood for. Her daughter,  _their_  daughter… Jack's daughter was the one paying the ultimate price for that. She didn't deserve children and maybe she didn't deserve Jack either. He had been so kind and loving to her, but she apparently she was just a backstabbing bitch. Okay, maybe not literally but she had kept things from him – be that intentional or not – which had hindered the rescue of their daughter.

"What?" He barked, turning around and almost knocking over a pile of boxed in the process.

"You were talking about me," she tried again, cautiously. This was the first time they'd actually spoken since…

His brows furrowed before he scowled at her, angry with himself for apparently thinking aloud. How much had he said? How much had she heard? "No I wasn't."

"Yes you were," Sam countered.

"Goddammit Carter, not everything is about you!" Jack yelled at her, flinging his arms around in frustration.

Jumping to the side as his hands knocked over a vase, she took a quivering breath. "Okay," she said demurely. "Thor sent me down here to help you look for something."

"I don't need your goddamned help," he snarled, turning his back on her. "Go do your computer genius thing with Thor or something. You can fiddle with the doohickey if I find it."

Sam swallowed hard, her eyes tearing up already as she nodded slowly. "Yes Sir," she whispered, hanging her head and making her way to the door. She angrily brushed the tears that were falling down her cheeks away and it wasn't until she felt something dribble down her chin that she noticed how hard she was biting her lower lip. For lack of anything better she wiped her chin and busted lip with her sleeve and opened the door leading to the corridor. Thor had already said he didn't need her help, suggesting she go help 'O'Neill', who obviously didn't need her either – be that professional or personal – so she decided to go to her room and get a shower. That fucking hypnosis-trick of Janet hadn't worked at all and now she just felt even more frustrated and hurt by Jack's behavior. Which was stupid because she knew she deserved it – and much more – for taking his child away from him and helping the enemy.

Casting a glance over his shoulder once he heard the door close, Jack stopped his search and placed his hands against the wall, leaning his forehead against the cool material as he tried to calm his erratic breathing. He was panting like he'd been chased by a platoon of Jaffa, but this was far worse; Sam's voice had been filled with emotion and he felt like a bastard for blowing up at her. But this was for the best, right?

* * *

"How is the child?" Ba'al inquired when his mate returned.

Astarte raised a brow before sitting down on her throne. "The Kotharat are caring for her. She is fine."

"Good," he smirked, reaching for some fruit on the banquet. "Nassir has informed me we are nearing Gubla."

"On schedule, as I had predicted," she replied smugly, gesturing for him to bring her some wine. "Have you contacted your First Prime?"

Handing her a goblet, he inclined his head. "Indeed I have; A'kil and his men have discovered one of Pelops' laboratories and will ship the contents to Gubla once they are done."

"Excellent," Astarte purred before taking a sip. "His research could further our goals."

"It will shorten our time table extremely," Ba'al agreed as he too sat down. "Ba'dru is following a clue that might lead him to a repository."

She chuckled softly. "At least your First and Second Primes are capable and competent."

"Unlike most of those lowly Jaffa who died aboard my ha'tak," he said in disdain.

"Indeed," she nodded slowly, twirling a lock of hair. "What of Vi'tak?"

Adjusting his collar, Ba'al sighed. "He is retrieving a few of my better Jaffa armies."

"Has Ba'alat given you an update on her progress?"

"Not yet, my love," he shook his head. "She can explain in person."

"Very well," Astarte relented benevolently. "I expect that she has made tremendous progress with Ataratah's project and she still has not yet explained the incident with Anat's stasis jar."

Ba'al turned towards her and roughly grabbed hold of her chin. "She does not need to defend herself to you; she has already explained the situation to me."

"Anat was my sister and lover," she hissed, "I deserve an explanation. If not for Ba'alat's carelessness, Anat would still be alive. Instead, our plans have been delayed."

"Perhaps," he replied, narrowing his eyes at her. "Yet she succeeded in cloning Anat."

Astarte huffed and shook his hand off. "After she died! And might I mention that is the reason her experiments have taken such a long time? Otherwise Ataratah's project could have been finished already and Anat would be by our side."

"It will not be much longer, love," Ba'al soothed her mockingly, "for the symbiote in your high priestess is maturing rapidly."

"It remains to be seen if she has all of Anat's memory," she argued.

"Yes, the others were unfortunate experiments," he agreed, grimacing at the memory. "But she also succeeded in cloning me."

Astarte rose from her chair and stretched her lithe frame seductively. "She has, yet that situation was different as you and your host were still alive; Anat was already dead. She is lucky we captured Samantha, otherwise she would still be researching various methods for returning our sister to us."

"Yes, it is such a shame Colonel Carter has taken her leave," Ba'al mumbled to himself.

"Again one of Ba'alat's failings," Astarte reminded him sweetly.


	45. Rendezvous

"So, what did you find out?"

Daniel frowned, scowling at his friend. "Hello Jack, nice to see you too. How have you been? I'm good, thanks for asking-"

"Well, that's just swell," he retorted sarcastically. "Now that we've got the pleasantries out of the way, tell me what you've got." Jack let out an exasperated sigh as Daniel petulantly crossed his arms and sat down. "T, what did you and the Space Monkey find?" He asked his Jaffa buddy instead, knowing he'd give him a succinct answer.

"Master Bra'tac was able to provide us with a more detailed version of the old tales of where the children of the gods come from," Teal'c replied, inclining his head. "Ka'lel brought Daniel Jackson a long forgotten scroll given to her by Maz'rai, it specifies another planet."

Dragging a hand through his hair, Jack grimaced. "Not Kadesh?"

"Indeed."

"Jack, where's Sam?" Daniel asked, his eyes already dancing through the room. "And Janet?"

"Dunno," he shrugged casually, feeling anything but. "Doc was in the cargo bay last I saw her." It had only been a few minutes after he'd practically scared Sam away that Fraiser had entered the room, his head had still been resting against the wall as he was silently berating himself for his behavior. Nevertheless, he still felt it was the best thing for Sam. Searching all the equipment and other items, he and Fraiser had found the device Ba'al had used on his wife. Right around that moment, Thor had informed him over the intercom that he'd hailed Daniel and Teal'c so he told her to keep looking for the smaller memory recall device, even if he wasn't sure it was in Sam's best interest to get those memories back, and had gone to the bridge.

Daniel jumped up from his seat, wondering what had happened while he and Teal'c had been on Dakara that caused Jack's foul mood. "What do you mean you don't know where Sam is? She's your wife and while this ship is big, I doubt you've lost her here."

Jack groaned in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Did the details of the tale give you any more leads?" Deciding to just ignore his friend's remark, he forged on. "What about that planet on the scrolls? Anything else about Kadesh? Did ol' Bocce's Jaffa give you anything to work with?"

"I need to do more research first," Daniel finally replied, realizing he wouldn't get anywhere with him today. He might as well visit Janet and then he might go look for Sam himself.

"Of course you do," he muttered under his breath, before letting out a deep sigh.

Deciding his interference was required, Teal'c stepped forward. "Master Bra'tac informed us of those that allegedly protect the Goa'uld Queens, O'Neill," he stated solemnly. "Fiery serpent-like creatures, most probably those the Tau'ri refer to as dragons."

"A dragon?" Jack reiterated skeptically. "Daniel?"

"Don't ask me," he shrugged. "Like I said, I have to look into it. As a matter of fact, I think I'll do that right now."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow as he recognized O'Neill's chagrin and Daniel Jackson's evasive maneuver. "Perhaps I can assist Doctor Fraiser in the cargo area."

"Fine," Jack snarled, still frustrated from his confrontation with Sam earlier and now his friends were making it worse. "The books are still in the lounge and Fraiser is looking for a zatarc detector-like device among Ba'al's crap."

"After conferring with the High Council I was allowed to obtain information from our main database in the Ida Galaxy that might be pertinent to our quest," Heimdall spoke up as Daniel Jackson and the Jaffa were about to take their leave. "If you wish, I will show you."

Beaming, Daniel bobbed his head enthusiastically. "Yes, of course! Can we access the information from the lounge too or do we have to stay here?"

"It is possible," he confirmed, inclining his head slightly.

Jack rolled his eyes when Daniel cast him a furtive glance. "Well, go on," he waved his hand towards the door. "The sooner we have that information the better," he mumbled. Turning to Teal'c, he jerked his head towards the door. "Thor is in his lab, working on the machine Ba'al used on Sam to manipulate her memories. The doc is still looking for the memory recall devices as we couldn't find those."

"You believe we can reverse the process," Teal'c stated as Daniel Jackson and Heimdall left.

"Maybe," he shrugged. "Thor and I thought it might, but Heimdall wasn't entirely convinced."

"To what end?"

Jack sighed, realizing that he was probably grasping at straws here but at least Thor thought there was a chance too… he hadn't had the heart to tell Sam of their suspicions yet, though. Considering her behavior when she'd found him in the cargo bay he assumed the Asgard hadn't informed her either otherwise she would have insisted on finding the machine. "Ba'al and his gang tried to ensure her cooperation by taking those memories from her, so she wouldn't try to escape because she wouldn't remember what she'd left behind," he rubbed the back of his neck as he grimaced at his friend. "Those memories aren't just about us but a  _lot_  of things happened during those years, especially all the stuff at the SGC. Sam also said they made her who she is-"

"Indeed," Teal'c confirmed, knowing from experience that it was true. One did not live for over one hundred years without gaining wisdom.

"So there's a chance that Ba'al would want to put them back once he could implant her with his queen," he grudgingly suggested to the Jaffa.

Narrowing his eyes, he gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. "I see."

"Thor and Heimdall have entered some search parameters to search the data we copied onto the crystals," Jack elaborated, his eyes focused on the screen that showed the search was still in progress. He had no idea  _how_  his little gray buddy could tell the computer to search for someone's memories, but hey, they were a superior race… besides, there were times he had no idea what Carter or Daniel were talking about either. This wasn't that much of a change. Seeing Teal'c cock his head, he shrugged. "I know it might not work, so I haven't told Carter yet-"

"I concur with your reasoning, O'Neill," he attempted to reassure his brother-in-arms. Now he understood what Daniel Jackson had failed to see; O'Neill was concerned about Colonel Carter. As a father, he was able to comprehend the feelings O'Neill must experience with his missing child. His friend had already lost his firstborn son, something he himself feared for often with Rya'c, and as a result he had lost his wife. Even though leaving Drey'auc and their son behind on Chulak was the only way to fight for their freedom from false gods, the separation from his family had been difficult. At the time of her death, he and his former wife had been estranged yet it was still a severe loss to him. The loss of his son had cost O'Neill his wife as well. Knowing his brother-in-arms well, he assumed it was what he was fearing now again.

Abducting one of his friends, a sister-in-arms was enough for Teal'c to want revenge. However, taking one's child was something that was unforgivable. Ba'al had taken the child of his two Tau'ri friends; the Goa'uld did not deserve to live. He would not rest until the child and Ba'al himself would be found. As a Jaffa, he had learned patience yet he also understood what O'Neill was facing; his friend had expressed his frustrations and anger with himself for not being able to retrieve the child. O'Neill did not leave his people behind and he would be even fiercer when it concerned family. Even though he had not, the Tau'ri felt as if he had failed. Failure was not something O'Neill took lightly, in particularly not when it involved Colonel Carter. Failing his child and the woman he loved must be a burden, Teal'c thought. "Do not worry, my friend; we will prevail."

Jack almost lost his balance as Teal'c clasped his shoulder roughly but silently thanked him for his support. Not that it mattered in regards to his wife; he had made his decision and he couldn't expect Sam to just forgive him all of a sudden if he did bring their little girl back to her. "Thanks," he mumbled before shaking off the Jaffa's large hand.

"The procedure was performed using the memory recall device?"

He shrugged, unsure. "We don't know exactly, but according to Raully's notes it's part of the machine. It didn't say if it was necessary, if they were adapted or simply extras."

"Did Daniel Jackson not say the Goa'uld had certain knowledge about Colonel Carter's time spent at Stargate Command?" Teal'c asked with a raised brow. As a Jaffa, he did not receive teachings as a child with the exception of receiving training to become a warrior – the Goa'uld did not want their Jaffa to be intelligent as it could undermine their authority – unlike most Tau'ri children. Therefore, he did not possess much knowledge of technology other than what he had learned in his time serving Apophis and mostly the time spent with the Tau'ri. He was willing to 'brainstorm', however if it could help others.

Jack's brows furrowed as he thought back to that moment on the ha'tak, when he'd been struggling with the female Goa'uld and the things she'd said. "Yeah, she even mentioned something from the Broca incident," he remarked, somewhat uncomfortable.

"Our mission to P3X-797 eight years ago," he supplied.

"Yeah, how the hell could that snakehead know that?" Jack exclaimed, getting frustrated all over again. He certainly didn't buy her claim of being all-knowing, even she couldn't be that deluded. As a matter of fact, she seemed to have the same attitude as Ba'al towards their own godliness. "Telling me to ask Sam."

Pensively, Teal'c once again raised his brow. "Perhaps she was merely taunting you, O'Neill."

He huffed out a breath, shaking his head.  _She'd definitely been taunting me_ , he thought. "Still doesn't explain how she knew what she knew."

"Have you inquired Colonel Carter about this?" He questioned, assuming he had not.

"Nah, she's got enough on her plate already," Jack denied, unwilling to burden his wife with more.

Fully turning towards his friend as he clasped his hands behind his back, Teal'c regarded him. "Did not Doctor Fraiser and Heimdall agree certain events might trigger Colonel Carter's memories, O'Neill?"

"Maybe it's better for her if she doesn't remember," he said softly, pursing his lips.

"You wedded Colonel Carter because of your love for her," he remarked. "Did she not love you back?"

Jack let out a sigh, before answering. "She did."

"Has your love for her survived the events since her abduction?" Teal'c inquired solemnly, his eyes trained on O'Neill.

"Of course," he replied immediately, squirming a bit under the Jaffa's intense scrutiny.

"Does Colonel Carter not love you despite the manipulation of her brain?"

Honest to god, Jack didn't know. He thought she did but he couldn't be sure. She hadn't even remembered him for crying out loud! He'd been there for her though, supported her and was patient with her, as his love for her had never diminished. Perhaps it had even intensified after she'd gone missing. "I honestly don't know," he confessed. Sam had accepted him in her life, had made love to him and her feelings seemed to be true, genuine, but how could he be sure it was truly love? Perhaps it was mere gratitude, even a crush or maybe she just stayed with him because  _he_  loved  _her_. Their marriage gave meaning to her life now, she had a role to fulfill and someone to rely on.  _Yeah right_ , he huffed to himself. He was  _so_  reliable that he'd let their baby slip through his fingers!

"Then you are a fool, O'Neill," Teal'c chided him.

"Hey," he objected, frowning. "It's not that simple, you know."

"Love never is," he replied, borrowing a phrase he had heard Tau'ri say often. Teal'c held up his hand as O'Neill opened his mouth to speak again. "Colonel Carter was most distressed upon learning we had not achieved our objective-"

"You're telling me," Jack grumbled, interrupting him. "Don't you think I know that? Why do you think I-"

Cocking his head, Teal'c regarded O'Neill closely. "From appearances, I assume you have not yet resolved this matter."

Tiredly scrubbing his face with his hand, he hung his head slightly. "Maybe she's better off without me, T. Without her memories it will be easier for her to move on-"

"O'Neill-" He warned him in a booming tone before he was interrupted.

"I'm not saying I'm giving up," Jack hastened himself to explain. "I swear to God I'll find that smarmy Ba'al and twist his neck, preferably his girlfriend's too… and I'll do whatever I can to return our baby to Sam, but-"

Teal'c grabbed him by both shoulders, tightening his grip as he lowered his face to look his friend in the eye. "O'Neill, fearless leader of the Tau'ri would not abandon his family. As your and Colonel Carter's friend I am allowed to inflict bodily harm upon you for hurting her," he added.

Dipping his head, Jack acquiesced and grabbed the Jaffa's wrists before pulling his hands off. "I'm going to my quarters," he mumbled, assuming that's where Sam was. Teal'c was right, they needed to talk about this. Even though he knew this was something she might not be able to forgive or forget – he wasn't sure if he could himself – he owed it to her to talk to her first. Besides, he still had to ask her about what the female Goa'uld had said to him and apologize for his earlier behavior. She didn't deserve his anger and frustration, not with everything she was coping with on her own. God, he'd hardly given her the time of day because he was too concerned about his own feelings and what might happen if it turned out she really didn't love him enough to get through this! He was such an ass.

"Indeed," Teal'c replied, indicating he would ensure O'Neill would talk to Colonel Carter one way or another – even if he had to help them do so.

* * *

"You look most undesirable," Astarte greeted as she entered the laboratory.

Ba'alat raised one of her dark eyebrows. "You still have no manners," she commented, before turning to Ba'al. "My Lord, it is most pleasurable to see you again."

"Yes, my Queen," he smirked, before crossing the room and giving her a kiss. "The infant is still aboard my ship-"

" _My_  ship," Astarte interrupted him, smiling sweetly but nonetheless reminding him who the ha'tak belonged to – even if he had given it to her in the first place. "Being cared for by my Kotharat."

"They," he referred to the Jaffa priestesses, "are being guarded by four squads of Elite Jaffa."

Ba'alat nodded in understanding, even though she required the child's presence for further testing. "What of the child?"

"Ten Seraphim are ready to guard the child once we deem it necessary," Astarte explained.

"Only ten?" she questioned haughtily, delighted to be able to taunt her.

"They are strong and capable," Ba'al replied irritably. Once again both females were arguing. Flattering as it might be for him, it was a waste of time at the moment. "You will reassign some of your personal Seraphim if the child is to set foot on the planet."

Ba'alat gave him a pleasant smile. "Of course my Lord."

"After all," Astarte said slowly, smirking. "She might not be a child of the gods, but she will host one soon and will become a true goddess."

Ba'al stepped up to the consoles and accessed the  _Ataratah_  project. "How is your work progressing, my dear?"

"Please do not tell me you have failed once more," Astarte mockingly pleaded, righting her cloak out of boredom. "It would be so… predictable."

"Silence!" he snarled before his Queen could answer.

Smirking at her rival, Ba'alat gently laid a hand on her Lord's arm. "The renewed ova are ready for insemination within the next thirty hours."

"Marvelous," Ba'al commented, smirking.

Unimpressed, Astarte raised her brows, turning towards the deteriorating woman. "The new hosts are aboard my ship; luckily for you I had left instructions with my First Prime to extract them simultaneously with myself from our Lord's ha'tak vessel before the self-destruct detonated."

"My Lord," Ba'alat turned to him, batting her lashes. "I will once more plead with you to allow me to take Colonel Carter as a host-"

"It cannot be done," he mumbled, waving his hand around. "We were unable to retrieve her and you are in dire need of a new host."

"Had you not let Samantha escape…" Astarte purposefully let her voice trail off.

She grimaced at her Lord's consort, once more cursing her. She herself had been assigned as his Queen long before the sultry woman and her sister had married him. "I did not do it on purpose and it were the Jaffa who failed-"

Astarte clacked her tongue, shaking her head dramatically. "Excuses, excuses… no wonder you hardly achieve any results."

"You could have had your own Jaffa guard her if you had anticipated this all along," Ba'alat snapped.

"I had offered my assistance," she argued.

Ba'al smiled patiently. "Ladies, let's not assign blame. The colonel got away and the Jaffa responsible were killed."

"Perhaps it would have been more efficient to have the Elite Jaffa or even the Seraphim guard her."

Astarte huffed at her suggestion. "It would not; the Elite Jaffa are assigned to my Kotharat and I can only spare so many throughout the entire galaxy. The Seraphim could not guard Samantha once she had given birth as the amounts of naquadah inside her were too low for them to detect her at all times." It was an unpleasant surprise to learn Ba'alat did not even know this herself; obviously she was deteriorating faster than expected. "The re-sequencing of your host's DNA did not prevent further damage to the body."

"Indeed," Ba'al agreed, narrowing his eyes at his Queen. "I had hoped to prolong your health for much longer yet it has become obvious you are in need of a new host. The sarcophagus was no longer suitable yet apparently neither was the machine."

"We can still use it for the child," Astarte suggested, glancing towards the piece of technology taken from one of Anubis' old laboratories, mere moments before the Tau'ri had investigated it. "It would be a shame not to."

Ba'alat reluctantly agreed and stood. "I shall review the hosts you have brought, although I still wish it could be Colonel Carter."

"You need your host now," Astarte smirked, "if we  _do_  catch Samantha she will be Anat's new host."

Eyes glowing, she glared at her. "I had requested it first, Anat is not even ready for implantation!"

"Who is to blame for that, my love?" Astarte asked sweetly as she turned towards Ba'al. "Your Queen did not only allow Samantha to escape, she is also responsible for breaking the stasis jar containing Anat and thereby ending her life."

"I have repented and was able to correct that error," Ba'alat replied venomously.

Rolling his eyes, Ba'al let out an exasperated sigh. "Ba'alat, you will inspect the hosts and select one as we will need you once the ova are ready." He stared at her until she inclined her head and moved towards the ring transporter.

"Your grand solution cost us time scheduled for Ataratah."

"Astarte," he growled menacingly, warning her. "Leave it be, my love."

Flicking her hair over her shoulder, she shrugged as the rings activated. "Very well. I do, however, wish to emphasize my wish to recapture Samantha to implant her with Anat once she is ready."

"Have we not yet already had this discussion?"

Astarte brought up her hands to encircle his neck, smiling seductively as she pressed her body to his. "I do not remember us coming to an agreement, my Lord."

"You are once again trying to persuade me." Ba'al's hands came up and covered most of her small waist as he pulled her closer.

"You cannot deny you find Samantha attractive."

He chuckled softly, brushing her hair back. "For a Tau'ri female."

"I observed you," she whispered as she leaned closer, "watching her."

"It was difficult not to notice her when you brought her to my chambers," he argued softly.

Astarte licked her lips as she traced his jaw with her fingers. "You are aware of how much I prefer your bathing area."

"Apparently so does Colonel Carter."

She let out melodious laughter as he raised his eyebrows at her. "You said to keep her close, watch her. Would you have preferred me allowing your incompetent Jaffa to bathe her?"

"No," Ba'al barked, squinting at her. As a matter of fact, it had been quite entertaining to observe them in his chambers. Such a shame he could not taunt O'Neill with it at the time. "You were trying to tempt me."

"Did I not succeed?" She asked innocently, blinking her eyes at him. "She aroused you."

"Perhaps," he murmured softly. However, he did not force a female – he was a god, he did not  _need_  to force females in his bed. It was much more pleasant to have a willing participant even if he had been tempted by the colonel. "She was with child."

Astarte beamed at him, cupping his face in her hands. "Yes, it was most peculiar. I have not before participated in sexual relations with a pregnant female, I was most curious."

"I did not expect otherwise," he smirked, grabbing her chin before tipping her face up.

"Despite the obvious protruding stomach, Samantha has a beautiful body. Her pale skin would be a lovely contrast to ours," she whispered as his mouth came closer. "I cannot recall your consorts controlling a host with such fair hair in the past."

"And such lovely freckles," Ba'al agreed as he took her mouth.

* * *

Peeking inside, Jack was surprised to find the quarters empty. He'd simply assumed Sam would be here, he thought as he walked inside and plopped down on the bed. It was then that he heard a sound coming from the adjoining bathroom. Getting up, he opened the door to find his wife sitting in a whirlpool-like bath. "Sam?" Not getting a response, he stepped inside. Only then did he hear her soft sniffle before she brushed at her face with her hand. "Sam?" He called out a bit louder.

Her head snapped up at his voice and, embarrassed, she turned her back on him. "What?"

"Sorry," he mumbled, keeping his distance. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she replied stiffly, sinking deeper into the water until her chin touched the surface.

Tapping his foot, Jack looked at her. "You sure about that?"

"I think I would know," she countered.

"My bad," he replied, holding his hands up in defense. "I just can't recall you crying in the tub… or anywhere at all, actually."

She stifled a groan and glared at him over her shoulder. "Oh, now I'm too emotional?"

"I didn't say that," he exclaimed, getting exasperated already. "God Sam."

"What? How is this my fault?"

Jack jumped up, scowling at her. "It's not, dammit."

Swirling in the water, she turned to face him. "Are you sure about that?" She asked as she tipped her head back to look at his face. "Because you could just add it to the list."

"What list?"

"With all the other things on it that are my fault," Sam whispered, before ducking her head.

Feeling his body sag at her whispered confession, Jack pursed his lips together and walked over to her. "Well, that's stupid," he mumbled as he leaned down to be on the same level with her. "Because that would be a blank page."

"No, it's not," she shook her head in denial. "I'm the one that got us into this trouble in the first place."

"Well," he shrugged lamely, knowing he couldn't really deny that, "you also got us out of plenty before. Otherwise we wouldn't be here."

Frustrated, Sam rubbed her hand over her face, not caring about the water. "I was the one who got abducted, I was the one who helped Ba'al create better technology, I am the one who lost her memory and I am responsible for our baby."

"None of that is your fault," Jack yelped, reaching out to caress her face. "If anyone is at fault, it's me."

"You've been so patient with me," she murmured, turning her cheek into his palm. "I didn't even remember you but you were still there for me. I can't blame you for walking away now," she whispered with closed eyes, enjoying his touch for the last time. "You tried but I'm not the same person you knew and those memories aren't going to return."

"Hey," he objected, reaching out his other hand to gently shake her shoulder. "I don't want to lose you, but I'll let you go if that's what you want…"

Her eyes popped open to stare at him in confusion. "What I want is you and the baby."

"And it's my fault that the Goa'uld got away with our little girl," Jack finally confessed.

Sam shook her head, grabbing his wrists. "It's not!"

"It is," he insisted, holding her gaze. "You don't have to spare my feelings, I'm just not supposed to be a father – I already failed Charlie and Sara and now I'm failing you and the baby. Besides, I already overheard you with Janet."

"That's not true," she argued, trying to will him to believe her with her eyes. "And what did you overhear?"

Jack shrugged uncomfortably, tearing his gaze away from hers. "That you blame me – and you're right," he added when she opened her mouth to interrupt him. "I should have been able to take on that Goa'uld bitch!"

"What, no!" Sam yelped, frowning as she tried to make sense of it all. "I blame myself for that!"

"Well, that… doesn't make any sense at all."

Rolling her eyes, she gave him a pointed look. " _I_  was the one who upgraded the shield and told Janet that if I hadn't done that, you should have been able to take her out."

"Oh," Jack gasped. His world was practically turning upside down with her explanation. He'd been ready to leave her over  _that_? "She still would have gotten away, probably," he shrugged. "And Ba'al was still too far away if even Teal'c couldn't corner him."

"That was also my fault," Sam confessed with a deep sigh. Seeing him frown, she elaborated. "Not about Ba'al… her getting away; the only reason she was able to beam out was because I had ordered the Jaffa to take out the shield generator so we could use the beaming technology. She must have overheard us when I confirmed the shields were down… probably anticipated that part of our plan."

"Most likely  _all_  of our plan," he grudgingly admitted as he realized how smoothly they had gotten away. Well, with the exception of his Jaffa and his ship, but hadn't Teal'c said they were incompetent? Plus, they already had two Tok'ra traitors, Ba'al was probably looking for a way to clean up and their death would have been an added bonus.

 _"O'Neill, Colonel Carter; Daniel Jackson and I have uncovered new information, please report to the lounge_ ," Heimdall's voice sounded over the intercom.

Sam gnawed her lip, looking up at her husband. "Are we okay?"

Smirking, Jack leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss on her lips. "More than okay. C'mon, let's get you dressed."

She snickered as he lifted her out of the water, without thinking of his own clothes. "Jack, maybe it'll be faster if I do it myself!"

He reluctantly placed her feet on the floor, letting her naked and slippery body slide down his before pressing a kiss to her crown. "Fine, I'll see you there."


	46. Plotting A New Course

"Ah, good," Daniel smiled when Jack, looking less agitated than earlier, walked in. "Where's Sam?" He didn't doubt that Jack's improved mood had something to do with Sam, thus her absence surprised him. Even if they hadn't been together at the time of Thor's call over the intercom, Sam still would have heard right?

"She'll be here in a few," he shrugged casually. "She was in the tub so I went on ahead."

Teal'c inclined his head, satisfied with the apparent progression his Tau'ri friends had made. "Daniel Jackson has discovered information that could be of value in our quest."

"Please, do tell," Jack urged him impatiently.

"Oh, I ah… I thought we should wait for Sam," Daniel stammered uncomfortably. "Janet and Heimdall are on their way over as well."

"Doctor Fraiser succeeded in locating the memory recall devices the Goa'uld have apparently used on Colonel Carter," Teal'c informed O'Neill. "When I offered my services she merely requested I inform Daniel Jackson, Thor and you and Colonel Carter as she brought the devices to Heimdall's laboratory."

Thor inclined his head in acknowledgement. "I have contacted Heimdall's laboratory to request their presence. They should arrive within several of your minutes."

"Daniel," Jack groaned as he started pacing around the table scattered with books and notes. "What did you find?"

"Sam!" Daniel exclaimed when he saw his friend coming towards them. "I think I may have found something!"

Hearing her name, Jack turned around to look at her. Finally, after having cleared up both their feelings only minutes earlier, he was able to look at her. Really look at her, locking his eyes on hers. A small smile was gracing her features and he felt the usual desire coursing through his body as he looked at her. She was still as gorgeous as the first time they'd met, maybe even more gorgeous now. Despite not remembering everything that had happened since then, it was obvious to him – to everyone that had seen her grow during her work at the SGC – that she was more confident and self-assured now, unlike the mask and chip on her shoulder she'd hid behind back then. It had probably something to do with achieving the rank of lieutenant colonel already.

She was also looking better than she had a couple of hours ago, most likely because of their talk. He knew it felt like a weight had fallen off his own shoulders after that. Knowing she still wanted him despite failing to retrieve their daughter, that she still trusted him and had faith in his abilities to bring their baby back. Teal'c was right; they still loved each other despite what had happened to Carter. His eyes did a quick onceover and he realized she'd gotten dressed in her black BDUs as well – his favorite color on her – which matched his own. Only he wasn't wearing the oversized jacket since it had gotten wet when he'd lifted her from the tub. A small smirk tugged on his lips at that memory.

"Hi," Sam greeted softly, after tearing her eyes from Jack's. "What did you find, Daniel?"

He watched her padding into the lounge and shifted on his seat. This was important and Janet and Heimdall would hear everything once they got here and he could fill them in later on what they'd missed, Daniel decided before launching into his explanation. "Well, to be honest I'm not sure where to start," he grimaced, frowning as he glanced at the table that held all his notes.

"How about the beginning, huh?" Jack asked sarcastically, before plopping down on one of the seats.

"Right," Daniel nodded. "Okay, so Heimdall hooked me up to the Asgard database via some sort of subspace network link similar to that of the Tok'ra and-"

"Daniel!"

He smiled sheepishly. "Sorry. Anyway, I did a search for Gubla, but couldn't find it. However, there was some information on Kadesh!"

Jack cocked an eyebrow as his curiosity was piqued. "As in that secret planet of Ba'al's mentioned by An'eke?"

"Indeed," Teal'c replied smugly. Once again, it was one of his Jaffa brothers to provide them with information for their quest. He was most pleased with the renewed alliance of the Tau'ri and the Jaffa. Proud that his brothers did not fear to provide the Tau'ri with information or assistance now that  _they_  were in need of it, for once.

Daniel eagerly bobbed his head, looking from Jack to Sam. "Yes, the one that Ba'al punished his lo'taur for because he mentioned it by name in someone's company apparently."

"So what did you find?" Sam asked, before sitting down next to her husband.

"Well, I had to try several spelling variations until I found it; apparently, the Asgard added it their database a long time ago, after a Goa'uld ruled the planet and enslaved the human population. The entry wasn't clear about who the planet belonged to but made mention of both Ba'al and a Goa'uld in a female host, most likely Asherah. We know that Asherah was a goddess popular with the ancient Israelites and biblical prophets repeatedly condemn her under the name of Astoreth, which is also known as Astarte or Ashtar. She was the supreme female divinity of the Phoenician nations, symbolizing the female principle as Ba'al symbolized maleness."

Noticing his excitement, Jack nodded slowly. "Okay, so how does that help us?"

Daniel's head snapped into his direction, a puzzled frown on his face. "Right!" he exclaimed, searching the papers on what he'd claimed as his desk. "There were coordinates mentioned as well but they merely point towards a region of space not a particular planet and apparently it didn't have a stargate at the time; it's here in the Milky Way Galaxy though and Thor has plotted a course already. This could be her home planet," he added conspiratorially.

"Indeed," Teal'c repeated again in a confident tone. Looking forward to the prospect of avenging the wrong the Goa'uld and Ba'al had done to Colonel Carter.

Thor padded over to the nearest console and showed the Tau'ri and the single Jaffa the course he had plotted. "After conferring with the Asgard High Council they have given their support and will send Freyr to join us in the search of that quadrant of this galaxy. Together, we will use our sensors and the acquired genetic material of your offspring to scan the nearby planets for her presence. I have also sent a transmission to Earth."

"What did Hank say?" Jack inquired, mostly to be polite because right now he could care less about the man's opinion – or even that of the President – because there was no way he was going back to Earth before he found his daughter.

"He has not yet responded," Thor replied. "I am confident he will use the communication stone assigned to the commander of Stargate Command to contact us. I have instructed the ship to make periodical stops so that we can process incoming transmissions and scan the vicinity of several planets that used to belong to the System Lords."

Seeing Jack nod, Daniel almost jumped up. "That's not all!" He almost yelped. "I knew Gubla sounded familiar and after Heimdall informed me of the Goa'uld Queen Ba'alat that used to be under the System Lords' control, I hit my books again," Daniel started explaining. "It's the old name for the Phoenician city Gebal!"

"So…?" Jack questioned with a blank face.

Sam suppressed a smile at his reaction, but if she were honest, she had no idea what Daniel was talking about either. "I've never heard of that name."

"The Greek name for that same city is Byblos," he patiently elaborated. "We know Ba'alat was worshipped primarily in Byblos… well, back in the day at least," Daniel shrugged, before reaching for his notebook. "And one of my other books mentioned the supreme goddess of the Phoenician city of Byblos was Baal-Gebal! Most of the Goa'uld we know have kept using the distinguishing characteristics and such from their mythologies on Earth, so Gubla might lead us to Ba'alat."

"Very good news indeed," Teal'c agreed, as he was aware that Ba'al and his consort were not the only ones who had hurt Colonel Carter. After all, his sister-in-arms had mentioned a second female Goa'uld whom she had been forced to help improve the Goa'uld's personal shield. "Have you been able to acquire the coordinates as well, Daniel Jackson?"

"Not yet," he grimaced, disappointed that he hadn't found them yet.

Janet and Heimdall silently entered the room, both having overheard the explanation.

"I'm sure you will, Daniel," Janet gave him an encouraging smile.

"We have not yet been able to process all the information provided by the Tok'ra crystal," Heimdall informed them. "Perhaps more information can be found."

Reaching for his coffee, Daniel nodded slowly. There was no point in feeling dejected now, he had already found two clues after all. "Oh!" He exclaimed as his eye fell upon his other notes. "I also did a bit of digging after Master Bra'tac's description of those who seem to guard the Queens."

"Yeah?" Jack questioned as he cautiously slipped an arm around Sam's shoulders – and to his delight she automatically leaned into him – and rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand. "Did you find anything?"

"Two possibilities actually."

"Merely from your books, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c inquired skeptically with a raise of his eyebrow.

"I was a bit surprised about that myself too," he admitted, wondering why he – they, the Tau'ri – had never asked the older Jaffa for more information while still fighting the Goa'uld since it hadn't taken him that long to come up with references to Master Bra'tac's words. "One possibility is long-"

Jack grimaced and sighed aloud. "Just give us a summary for crying out loud!"

"No," Daniel frowned, pushing up his glasses as the movement slid them down his nose. "I mean a dragon in Chinese mythology;  _long_  not long," he tried emphasizing the difference in pronunciation but it seemed Jack didn't even notice. "There are five types known: the celestial dragons who guard the abodes of the gods; dragon spirits, who rule over wind and rain but can also cause flooding; earth dragons, who cleanse the rivers and deepen the oceans; treasure guarding dragons; and the imperial dragons, who have five claws instead of the usual four."

"So, we're dealing with the first one?"

"Possibly," he admitted, turning the page. "That type is known as tianlong which can denote 'heavenly dragon; celestial dragon' or 'holy dragon; divine dragon'."

Janet raised her brows as she glanced at everyone's face. "A real dragon?" She voiced everyone's question.

Daniel shrugged, unsure himself. "It would seem so. According to the research I could find they are usually depicted as a four-legged animal, with a scaled, snakelike body, horns, claws and demonic eyes."

"So, something like a giant Goa'uld only with legs?" Jack wondered aloud.

"Maybe," he replied, "there must have been a reason it was considered the king of all animals."

"Alright," Jack drawled, not liking the image his mind conjured. "What's our other option?"

Taking a deep breath, Daniel raised his brows in an innocent expression. "Seraphim."

"Angels?" Sam retorted as her Catholic upbringing reared its head.  _Just my luck_ , she thought. Of all the things she could remember, the Old Testament came before her husband and friends?

Janet gaped for a few moments, before coming up with a reply. "Wait, what?"

"Divine creatures from the Old Testament, associated with the Cherubim, and later taken to be angels. The root of Seraphim comes either from the Hebrew verb  _saraph_  ('to burn') or the Hebrew noun  _saraph_  (a fiery, flying serpent). Because the term appears several times with reference to the serpents encountered in the wilderness (Num. 21.8, Deut. 8.15; Isa. 14.29; 30.6), it has often been understood to refer to 'fiery serpents,'" Daniel read aloud. "From this it has also often been proposed that the seraphim were serpentine in form and in some sense "fiery" creatures or associated with fire. It is said that whoever lays eyes on a Seraph, he would instantly be incinerated due to the immense brightness of the Seraph. They are described as very tall, with six wings and four heads, one for of the cardinal directions. In Isaiah's call-vision in the Temple, he sees Seraphim surrounding the throne of God, singing praise to God; the "Thrice Holy" hymn (ch 6). In this instance they are angelic beings but in the Book of Numbers, seraph-snakes are sent to punish the Israelites. Some of the Seraphim are Metatron, Kemuel, Nathanael, Gabriel, and Lucifer."

"Ah, now there are some names I remember," Jack mumbled. "Still, I'm not liking the whole big flying dragon-thing."

"Nor do I," Teal'c said in a disapproving tone.

* * *

"Please, contact your Second Prime now, my Lord," Astarte purred as they ringed aboard her ha'tak.

Walking over to the console, Ba'al cocked his head. "You do not trust Ba'alat."

"She has not yet given me reason to, on the contrary," she retorted haughtily as she sat down on her throne.

"She is my Queen," he replied as he opened the communications.

Admiring her nails, Astarte shrugged. "As was Anat, yet she died by Ba'alat's jealous hands."

"It was an unfortunate accident."

"One which ensured she would be your only Queen," she countered, not believing a word the woman had said. "Now that the hunt has been opened on our kind and our Queens are perishing all around the galaxy, she is one of few which grants her a position of power, my love."

Ba'al glared at her, realizing the truth in her words. "She would not betray me; she has been my Queen before you and Anat became my consorts. Never has she expressed such a primitive emotion as jealousy and she accepted both of you."

"She did not have a choice," Astarte argued, looking up to find his gaze directed at her. "You did not control her anymore, the System Lords did. Her and all the other Queens. Anat and myself have always been loyal to you."

"Do not worry, my sweet," Ba'al smirked at her, before returning his attention to the console as it indicated he connected with Ba'dru's communication device. "This is your God, report."

_"My Lord, we have located a repository and I have sent two squads of my best men back to our ship in order to retrieve the device."_

He frowned, displeased with their lack of progress. "You were unable to retrieve the device on your own?"

_"Yes, my Lord. It is mounted to the wall after which a chamber lies hidden. We will attempt to use the ring transporters to get them aboard the ship."_

"Very well," he muttered. "Ensure you have the device or do not return," Ba'al concluded the transmission. He already had the coordinates of his Second Prime now in case he would not return so he could retrieve the device himself. If need be, bring the child with him if it could not be retrieved from the chamber without damaging it.

Astarte raised a brow and looked at him. "What of A'kil?"

"He will return shortly. For now, my love, we will retreat to your chambers."

Smiling coyly, she slid from her chair and led the way. "Of course, my Lord," she purred. At the doorway she turned towards one of her Jaffa. "Do not allow anyone to leave or board the ship. We will return to the surface tomorrow."

Janet impatiently tapped her foot on the floor, waiting for the computer's analysis of the device to show on the screen. "Are you sure?"

"I am," Heimdall conceded sadly. "It is not possible for the Goa'uld to have used this device to target Colonel Carter's memories and erase them."

"Damn," she muttered under her breath. "I'll go inform the others."

"Very well," he replied as the Tau'ri female stalked off. Turning towards his console he archived the results and accessed the database to submit a report.

 _"Supreme Commander Thor_ ," a newly received transmission sounded as they exited hyperspace momentarily. Heimdall looked up and recognized Commander Aegir. Before he could reach his communication stone to contact the supreme commander, Thor already entered the room.

Blinking his large eyes at the screen, Thor stepped closer. "Greetings Heimdall, were you able to conclude your experiments on the device?"

"The results were not favorable for Colonel Carter. I have submitted my report to the Asgard Scientific Council just now," he gestured towards the other console that indicated they had exited hyperspace and communications were restored. "However, a new transmission for you has been received."

Opening the message, Thor watched the screen as Commander Aegir reported a serious offense.

_"… explosive devices destroyed the south wall and a thorough examination showed that a memory implant device was not amongst the debris and was most likely taken as well."_

"Commander Aegir, at the moment my assistance is required in the quest for O'Neill and Colonel Carter's offspring," Thor replied in a transmission of his own. "I would be most appreciative if you were to investigate the act of terror on Galar yourself. I will await your report. Be careful, for if it was true the Jaffa of a Goa'uld were involved they were most likely those of Ba'al."

"Supreme Commander Thor," Heimdall started after the transmission had been sent, "do you suspect the device was used to splice Colonel Carter's memories once they had acquired the technology from the Galarans?"

Inclining his head, he agreed. "Correct, it is possible Ba'al used the zatarc detector and memory recall devices to locate the desired memories and areas of Colonel Carter's brain before he was able to acquire the stolen device."

"Then perhaps you were correct in your assumption that her memories are salvageable as well," Heimdall concluded.

"I remain hopeful for Colonel Carter's sake," Thor replied curtly.

"I shall continue to search the data collected from Ba'al's ship as well as the date on the Tok'ra crystal."

"Very well."

* * *

Jack immediately noticed that Hank had returned Thor's call as soon as they dropped out of hyperspace. Having spent quite some time on the Asgard ships in the past few years, he knew his way around the consoles and contacted the SGC again. "Hank!"

_"Jack, is that you?"_

"Yeah sure you betcha," he smirked at the visual of Hank's surprised face on the screen. He knew Hank merely had a communications stone so he didn't have a visual, making it even more fun. "What's up?"

Hank appeared to hesitate on the screen before replying. " _We were contacted by Alekos from Argos-"_

"Oh crap," Jack mumbled, immediately reminded of his adventure into senility in the first year of the program. "Did something happen?" He didn't really want to know, not wanting to recall those naïve people and how he'd been drugged by that woman, Kynthia.

_"They were visited by what appear to be a couple of Jaffa. The symbol Alekos and Thetys described sounded suspiciously like-"_

"Ba'al," he interrupted him again. "What the hell did they want?"

Hank grimaced on the screen and shrugged to himself.  _"It looked like they were looking for something from Pelops, the Goa'uld that had brought the Argosians there in the first place."_

"Great, just great," he muttered. "Alright, thank you. O'Neill out." He disconnected, not in the mood to update him about their failure to find the baby yet and he also didn't want Hank's sympathies.

Standing up, Daniel quickly walked over to him. "Jack, we don't know a lot about Pelops other than that he was researching human evolution."

"I know," he sighed as he rolled his eyes. "Obviously, Ba'al wants that nanite virus or something."

"Nano-virus," Daniel corrected him. "But why?"

Teal'c regarded both Tau'ri. "Did not Pelops use it to artificially age humans?"

"Yeah and I think Sam mentioned something about Keffler using a sample of that nanite technology from Area 51 to age Anna, that Goa'uld/human-hybrid he and the rogue NID made," Daniel recalled from almost two years ago.

Sam frowned, trying to recall the mission Daniel was describing but came up with nothing other than some information about nanites and nano-technology. "Using the right method it can influence a person's aging process. A sort of nano-virus can use artificial self-replicating mechanical nanocites to accelerate the human life span up to approximately 250 years."

"Ba'al wants to age her," Jack gasped, remembering the Goa'uld's remark about her becoming of age and realizing her true potential.

"Like Shifu," Daniel mumbled as realization dawned on him.


	47. Traipsing Around the Galaxy

Jack impatiently paced in front of the console, waiting for the readings of the last planet. They had been searching for that damn planet, Kadesh, for almost a week now and still they didn't have any results. Well, not any that mattered, nothing related to Ba'al, his Goa'uld lover or the baby. Freyr started in the opposite direction but it wouldn't be much longer before his and Thor's ship would meet up in the middle and Jack had this sinking feeling both would come up empty-handed.

"Sir, maybe we should request backup from the SGC," Janet suggested.

He shrugged, casting another look at the computer. "They won't be of much help if there are no stargates on the planets, there is no ship available and I'm not going back to Earth to fetch them now.

"Indeed," Teal'c acknowledged glumly when he realized his brother-in-arms was correct; it would be an unnecessary strategy that would surely cost them more time; time the child may not have.

Jack nodded absentmindedly, his eyes not leaving the screen. Teal'c was right; they didn't need a couple of SG-teams to comb out the planets since Thor could scan a handful of planets per day if they were lucky. Freyr, even though he was alone aboard his ship, was covering more ground.  _Or space, I should probably say._  The gray alien was the first to command one of the new  _Samantha Carter_  class ships, which of course was equipped with all kinds of new tech. Like the new sensor satellites it could deploy to scan a planet. With those doohickeys Freyr was able to scan three planets at once and ten to fifteen a day.

"Analyzing the data obtained from our sensors it appears the child is not present on this particular planet," Heimdall announced. "Nor are there any Goa'uld or Jaffa."

"Damn," he muttered, dragging a hand through his hair in frustration. "How many more planets are there?"

Daniel let out a low whistle as he studied the star map. "Quite a few, but we're closing in on Freyr's planets… it won't be much longer until we've gone through them all. Three days tops," he sighed. "Maybe we should move a bit more to the edge of this section."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked as she looked at his hand, pointing at the quadrant's edge.

"Yeah," he replied pensively. "The first time I read the coordinates I made an error translating; I read quadrant instead of section-"

Jack nodded. "Yes, this is better; a section within the quadrant is much more detailed," he smirked; secretly satisfied that he'd been able to correct Danny-boy's error. His friend might be a very good linguist and archeologist, but Jack himself was better at astronomy – and apparently in reading Asgard.

"Actually, we had to triangulate the correct section from the information in the database," Sam explained. She, Daniel and Thor had done it together before plotting the course. "The information was from centuries ago and after compensating for stellar drift…"

"We know the planet was somewhere around the edge of Born Quadrant," Daniel elaborated after Sam trailed off. "Maybe we need to get closer to the edge, closer to the Os Quadrant."

Glancing at Heimdall, who gave an almost imperceptible nod with his large head, Jack held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, let's go to Oz."

"I shall inform Councilor Freyr of our altered course and request he will investigate the remaining planets of this sector before joining us," Heimdall stated, turning towards his console to contact his fellow Asgard. "We will arrive in two of your hours."

Nodding, Daniel got up and stretched. "Okay, I'll be in the lounge doing some more research."

"I will retreat to my quarters to kelno'reem," Teal'c stated, inclining his head in goodbye.

"Supreme Commander Thor wishes to speak to you," Heimdall informed the remaining three Tau'ri as he too took his leave.

Jack shrugged as the two women looked at him, as if he knew why Thor wanted to talk to them. "I've got nothing."

"He probably wants to talk about those memory devices," Sam mumbled softly. She was still disappointed that she wasn't remembering on her own. Of course, according to Thor and Heimdall there was a good chance she never would, as it appeared the memories had been specifically targeted for removal. Despite her expectations, Janet's hypnosis session  _had_  helped and she had started remembering a few things from her time of captivity. Not that it helped her with anything, since she'd mostly been aboard a Goa'uld ship or locked away in some sort of lab. No details that could give a clue to where she'd been staying.

"You are correct, Colonel Carter," Thor confirmed as he joined them. "However, it is not the devices we have found aboard Ba'al's ha'tak vessel I wish to discuss with you."

Janet frowned, her interest immediately piqued. "There is another device?"

"Commander Aegir has informed me it were indeed Ba'al's Jaffa who have stolen equipment and research from Galar, one of the planets under Asgard protection for many generations now."

"Galar?" Sam questioned, glancing from the Asgard to Janet and Jack.

Jack furrowed his brow and shrugged. "Don't ask me, I've never heard of it."

"I do not believe you have visited the Galarans yet," Thor replied. "They have only spoken of Jaffa visitors bearing the mark of Ba'al."

"It's probably one of the addresses we haven't visited yet, Sir," Janet offered.

Wringing her hands, Sam darted a glance at her husband and Janet before turning to Thor. "What kind of equipment was stolen and why are you telling us?"

Thor tilted his head as he contemplated how to answer Colonel Carter. "Galar was originally occupied by the Goa'uld but once they joined the  _Protected Planet Treaty_  and fell under the protection of the Asgard their technological advancements have flourished. They are now at a similar technological level as Earth and have recently mastered travel through the stargate. The discovery of a Goa'uld memory device let to a better understanding of this sort of technology and eventually they developed something they call a memory implant device."

"As in give a whole bunch of folks  _false_  memories?" Jack questioned, his eyes narrowing at the implications of such technology.

"Correct."

Janet frowned, her lips pursed as she processed this; it was certainly dangerous technology if it fell into the wrong hands. "Not that it's not fascinating and somewhat scary, but what does this have to do with us?"

"The memory implant technology is capable of copying a memory from one individual's mind and splicing it into another individual where it becomes incorporated into the consciousness like a transplanted organ," Thor patiently elaborated, feeling it necessary to inform the Tau'ri of the full workings of the stolen device. "The Galarans have not yet perfected the technology but are hopeful they can use the device as an educational tool in time, making instantaneous transfer of knowledge possible."

"That does sound very promising," Sam admitted, "but what if someone with this technology has malevolent intentions?"

Blinking his eyes once, Thor looked at Colonel Carter. "Once again you are correct; there appears to have been a heinous murder after which the device was used to erase the memory from the murderer's mind."

"Why would they do that?" Janet gasped, her eyes wide in shock. "Don't they have courts and prisons? Just erasing the memory won't make it all go away and it certainly isn't a way to prevent or diminish crime!"

"The murderer was one of the scientists involved with the design of the device," Thor informed them. "Therefore, the government felt it unnecessary to remove this man from his function as lead scientist. His brilliance outweighed the need for justice. The Asgard do not agree, but we also do not interfere in matters as these."

Jack let out a deep sigh, glad they hadn't run into those people while he was still in the field; for all they knew those Galarans would pretend to show them how the device worked and frame them for a murder or some other crime they didn't commit, simply by implanting a false memory! As if he didn't have enough bad memories of his own already… "Well, that's all really sad but how does this affect us? Are you suggesting that if we find Carter's memories in Ba'al's database we can use that device to give them back to her?"

"It is one possibility O'Neill," Thor acknowledged curtly. "However, that is not why I felt it necessary to inform you of this event; the theft almost coincided with Colonel Carter's abduction by one of Ba'al's clones."

"And because it were his Jaffa, you think they used that particular device to target her memories since it can obviously erase one's memories as well," Janet concluded, nodding pensively. "Would that mean that the memories are still stored on that device?"

"Perhaps," he replied evenly as he accessed his console to conjure up an image of the device. "This is the appearance of the device."

Padding over to the screen, Jack squinted at it before shrugging. "Nope, never seen it before in my life."

"Neither have I, Sir," Janet admitted, shaking her head. They had gone through most of the stuff on Ba'al's ha'tak and there was nothing that resembled this chair-like device.

Sam slowly took a step closer when all three of them turned towards her, silently questioning her with their facial expressions. "I… I-I don't think I've seen it before either."

"Perhaps they used similar technology when cloning Ba'al," Janet spoke up after pondering this for a minute. It made sense for the Goa'uld to use some type of technology to ensure his clones – the hosts as well as the symbiotes – would retain his memories and what better way would there be than to actually be able to pick what they do and don't know? "Although we still don't know how he was able to clone himself we assumed he used some of Anubis' technology but simple cloning won't guarantee an intact memory or even the same appearance. Then again, we don't know  _that_  much about cloning humans yet."

"It is possible Ba'al used the mind probe Anubis once used on my mind to retain my knowledge and download it on a computer aboard his ship," Thor explained to the Tau'ri doctor.

"But why steal this technology if it was based solely on what the Galarans learned from the memory recall devices? The Goa'uld certainly would be able to make something similar if not superior themselves then, right?"

Jack gave his wife an encouraging nod and walked over to her, grasping her hand in his. "Who knows, Sam. Maybe they didn't have the time or the opportunity simply arose; perhaps they weren't even looking for the device at the moment and simply used it once they found out. The best thing about this is that there's a good chance your memories are still stored on that device or even in this database," he gestured behind him. It was the best proof they had so far, before it had been more wishful thinking than actual proof.

* * *

"She recognizes you," Ba'al smirked at his consort.

Astarte simply glared at him as she picked up the infant and carried it with her as she crossed the laboratory. "Will you be joining us, my Lord?"

Exchanging glances with his Queen, Ba'alat, he shook his head. "Not yet, I will return to your ha'tak shortly."

"Very well," she huffed, signaling the Seraphim to follow her. The child's safety was her top priority and now that the research was nearly finished, she did not mind taking Ba'alat's Seraphim with her as well.

"I am most appreciative of your new host," Ba'al complimented his Queen once Astarte was gone. "Are you pleased with her as well, my Queen?"

Brushing a strand of hair back, Ba'alat smiled at him. "Of course my Lord," she purred. Her current host was several thousand years younger than her former and in all those years she had forgotten the pleasure she gained from tormenting the host's psyche.

"Good," he smirked.

"Although I would still prefer Colonel Carter," she said softly, knowing she should not push her boundaries with him. Not yet anyway. It would not be much longer until she would truly be free and could take her rightful place; make the galaxy bow at her feet.

Glancing up from studying the latest test results, he gave her a faint smile. "You always were zealous and ambitious."

"Those are good qualities," Ba'alat countered respectfully.

He chuckled softly, before turning serious again. "The results are promising; it will not be much longer," he stated, glancing back to the DNA re-sequencer he stole from Anubis' lab. "I will take the child with me tomorrow for our next step. When will your host be ready to produce new offspring?"

"Soon," she purred, caressing his shoulder. "The child will not be ready for implantation."

"Not yet," he agreed. "Astarte's Kotharat will carry the most promising symbiotes to maturity. With our new method it will not take very long and by then the child will be ready as well."

Canting her head, Ba'alat regarded him doubtfully. "None of the symbiotes will accept a mere child as its host." Not her offspring; they were far more ambitious.

"Do not concern yourself with that; I already have a solution. Once I am done with her, every symbiote will want Ataratah as its host," he grinned smugly, rubbing his hands at the prospect. "For now I shall leave you to get more accustomed with your host."

"Thank you my Lord," she smiled gratefully, silently wondering why he had not yet confided in her about his master plan.

"Goodbye my Queen," Ba'al replied, kissing her full, still unfamiliar lips before leaving. "I will contact you once I return." Not waiting for an answer, he followed the path his consort had taken earlier and immediately sensed the presence of a Seraphim. His eyes darted over the landscape but he could not see it. Normally that would be worrisome but not with these creatures. After all, the Seraphim lived to serve them and would –  _could_  – not betray them.

Once he came closer to the ship he recognized a female Jaffa near the forest as one of Astarte's Kotharat. They could not afford to walk around this freely, not when so much was at stake. Signaling one of the Elite Jaffa guarding her to bring the female back aboard the ship, he stepped onto the ring platform and ringed himself aboard. It did not take him long to find Astarte in her personal chambers. His consort was bathing, the child nowhere in sight.

"Now will you be joining me, my Lord?" Astarte questioned without turning once she felt his presence enter the room.

He smirked, already untying his robes. "What of the child?"

"Bennu is caring for her," she retorted. "Her gurgling was grating on my nerves."

Knowing one of her most trusted priestesses was caring for the infant satisfied him for the moment. "Very well," he replied as he let his clothes fall off. "I have instructed the Elite Jaffa to take one of your wandering priestesses aboard the ship. This is not the time to take risks."

"I am aware," Astarte said haughtily, glancing over her shoulder to admire his naked form as he closed the distance between them. "What of Ba'alat?"

"It will not be much longer before the prim'tas are ready."

She nodded slowly. "I will prepare my priestesses and choose those who will carry them."

Lowering himself into the hot water, he raised a brow. "They are not all carrying symbiotes yet?"

"I can place them in a stasis jar," she replied noncommittally. A shrugging of her shoulders made small waves in the water surface and her eyes followed them until they landed on his toned body. "Now that we have Pelops' research we can accelerate the maturing process even more than we have already done for Anat. Then we can place the symbiotes back in a stasis jar, determine the most suitable candidate for implantation and proceed once the child is ready. By then the other symbiotes can be replaced."

"You did not mention Akil's return to Ba'alat," Ba'al remarked once his lower body was finally submerged and her eyes were on his.

"I do not trust her," Astarte simply stated. "And if I am not mistaken, you have not told her either," she narrowed her eyes at him and, seeing him glare back added a "My Lord" belatedly. "Unless, of course, you did so just now."

He slowly shook his head, still scowling at her. "I did not."

"Because you lack faith in her as well."

Since his consort made it sound more like a statement than a question, Ba'al decided he did not have to answer. He would not admit to her that she had convinced him of Ba'alat's possible lack of loyalty. Now that she had her new host she was even more dangerous. He had not made the statement about Ba'alat's ambition in jest and he did not doubt she would betray him if her mind had set different goals. Ataratah was too important to fall in the wrong hands, especially after the escape of Colonel Carter and the death – and subsequent cloning – of Anat, his other consort.

In the past few days he had realized that with Anat's death he solely had to rely on Ba'alat to provide him with symbiotes. He had done so in the past as Anat and Astarte had ruled their worlds together and shared Anat's symbiotes, but Astarte was correct in her claim that Anat's symbiotes were of greater strength than those of Ba'alat. It had cast doubt on his conviction of Anat's death being accidental – after all, it was not the first time something unfortunate had happened where Ba'alat was involved.

"My Lord?" Astarte questioned softly, slowly rising in the pool of hot water. The cold air on her torso was chilling but its effect was immediately clear on her consort's face.

Dragging his eyes up her body, Ba'al reluctantly looked at her face. "I have informed Ba'alat we will leave with the child tomorrow for the next step."

"You did not inform her of its purpose?"

"I did not," he growled in a low tone as he reached for her.

* * *

"You must not worry, Doctor Fraiser," Teal'c tried to reassure the petite Tau'ri female. "We will prevail and retrieve the child."

"I hope so," Janet sighed, leaning her chin on her hand. "I think Thor feels the pressure is going up as well; we were barely out of hyperspace before he started scanning the closest planet."

Raising a brow, he regarded her for a moment. "You too belief the pressure is increasing."

"Yeah," she nodded, he was dead-on. "I just can't help but wonder if we'll be there in time."

"No matter what time, O'Neill and I will not rest until we have located his offspring," Teal'c pledged. "Nor will Colonel Carter, I suspect."

Understanding what he was trying to do, she gave him a small smile. "I know, but I'm just scared we'll be too late."

"Even without the technology of the Goa'uld the child will live approximately eighty of your years."

"Sam and the General won't," Janet replied bluntly.

Slowly lowering himself on a seat, Teal'c cocked his head. "If necessary, O'Neill will find a way. Perhaps tretonin will-"

"Maybe," she interrupted him, like him having a pretty good idea of what the general would be capable of if necessary. "But how long will they be able to cope, mentally I mean?"

"They are both strong warriors."

Janet shrugged, knowing it was true and yet suspecting this would be hard on anyone with a soul. Strong warrior or not. Hell, the General and Sam were both such strong warriors because they had a passion about defending their country – their planet – and that was what gave them their fire, their spirit and determination. In love, they were even more passionate. How would they cope with their child being out there somewhere with Ba'al and who knows who? It hadn't even been two months since Sam had returned and they'd already had their fair share of problems, which almost turned out in them terminating the marriage. Not because they didn't love each other, quite the opposite. But would a lifelong search for their missing child make or break them?

"We will prevail," Teal'c repeated once more.

She gave him a wan smile. "If it really takes years to find her, maybe prevailing won't be such a good idea," she mumbled. It was a horrible suggestion, she knew. Feeling the tall Jaffa's dark gaze on her, she tried to explain. "The baby is probably about seven weeks old now, maybe older if she was born prematurely or if we were off with the date of conception. Anyway, research has shown that the first three months in a baby's life are extremely important for bonding with the caregiver, usually the mother. Even if we disregard that, how will the child turn out if she's being raised by two megalomaniacs? General Landry contacted us last week, telling us about the Jaffa searching Pelops' nano-virus on Argos; Ba'al will find it if he hasn't already and he won't hesitate to use it on the baby. That way he can age her to whatever age he feels is necessary; probably adolescent or young adult so that the symbiote he wanted to implant in Sam can be implanted in her."

His mouth drooped in disdain. "I see."

"What would be a better way to torment your adversaries by turning their daughter into one of your own, probably take her as a consort or something," Janet shuddered at her own words.

Daniel briskly walked towards their table and joined them. "Please Janet, stop it. I really don't want to think about it. What if I had been Jack or Sam? You didn't even hear me come in, let alone them!"

"Indeed we did, Daniel Jackson. Your stealth leaves much to be desired."

Janet smiled at him. "Sorry Daniel, but he's right. Besides, the General and Sam are in their quarters resting before dinner."

"Still," he mumbled.

"Was your research rewarding, Daniel Jackson?"

Turning, Daniel looked at the Jaffa. "Eh, oh! Yes, it was actually; that's why I came here in the first place. Something kept nagging at me, like I had forgotten something."

"Did you?" Janet asked, frowning at the possibility of Daniel Jackson, linguist and archeologist forgetting something. Then again, she would have been astounded if someone had told her the same thing of Sam a year ago.

He bobbed his head eagerly, fumbling in his pockets to retrieve the notebook that was a bit too large to fit in his BDU jacket. "Yes, I remembered what Raully said aboard the ha'tak and what some of Ba'al's Jaffa told Master Bra'tac."

Making an impatient gesture with her hands, she rolled her eyes silently trying to urge him on.

"Right. Well, she mumbled something about 'Deasura' and the Jaffa all appeared to be afraid of this someone named  _Deasura_."

"Not another Goa'uld," Janet softly whined, wondering how many women Ba'al had at his disposal. Another reason to detest the bastard.

"Indeed the Jaffa seemed frightened by this person," Teal'c acknowledged, recalling the terror in some of their eyes.

Pushing up his glasses, Daniel turned to the right page in his notes. "Well, her reputation on Earth was a little less daunting I think.  _Deasura_  was short for "Dea Syria" or loosely translated; Goddess of Syria, also known as  _Derceto._ But that's her Greek name, she was mostly known as Atargatis. The Syrian Goddess, the fish goddess, lady goddess of the sea, etcetera," he motioned with his hand. "A fertility goddess represented at Ascalon as half woman, half fish."

"Doesn't sound very scary," Janet mumbled. "Sounds like a mermaid or something."

"Hm hm," he agreed. "But, and this is the interesting part," Daniel said enthusiastically as he looked up at both his friends. "The name Atargatis is a compound of two divine names; Atar'atah, which comes from Athtart, Astoreth or Astarte and gatis might may relate to the Greek  _gados_  "fish". Therefore, Atar-Gatis might possibly mean "the fish-goddess Atar. Now, Atar may be identical in origin with Anat. We already know that Anat and Astarte merged into one goddess at some time so this is very interesting. Atargatis is also known to be a consort of Ba'al-Hadad, like Anat and Astarte. It's also suggested the name is a combination of them and Asherah."

Teal'c raised his brown once Daniel Jackson was finished. "You are implying the Jaffa were scared of Ba'al's consort."

"The woman you and the General tried to fight," Janet added. "But Raully mentioned her earlier as Ba'al's mate, why later on name her Deasura? She was already dying so it must have taken quite a toll on her to use that last bit of energy to spit out the name."

"Who knows," Daniel shrugged. "Maybe they're not the same. Oh, I almost forgot; At her temples at Ascalon, Hierapolis Bambyce and Edessa there were fish ponds containing fish only her priest might touch…" letting his voice trail off, he grinned at them. "Oh come on, fish? Maybe they meant Goa'uld, since the priests are usually the ones caring for the prim'ta!"

"That is indeed possible."


	48. Sharing

Jack nodded his thanks as Daniel concluded filling him, Carter and the two Asgard in on what he had discovered about Deasura. At the moment, he could care less about another Goa'uld; they had just finished analyzing the last planet for today and still hadn't found anything. Neither had Freyr, who was still in the Born Quadrant. Not a thing on those planets besides breathable atmospheres, some trees, rocks, water, land and at times an alien or two – but not what they had been looking for. Another day wasted and it made Jack's feeling of helplessness only grow stronger. He was a man of action, however there was nothing for him to do now but wait and sit on his ass until they found the right planet. He hated every minute of it. Somehow, it was more tiring than actually being out there, actively participating in or even leading the search.

He still couldn't suppress the feeling of failing his baby, his second child… he hadn't been able to save Charlie all those years ago and now he found himself in a different yet somewhat similar situation with his daughter. It was the same helplessness he was feeling now. There was also nothing he could do to help Carter retrieve her memories now that they knew Ba'al probably used that Galaran device and that they didn't have access to the one that hopefully still held her memories. This sitting around was driving him bonkers, it made him think too much. There simply wasn't anything he could do; he almost felt more helpless now than he had when Carter had been abducted. At least this time he had her on his side and he wasn't sitting behind his desk waiting for reports from all over the planet and some parts of the galaxy.

A glance at his wife told him she was probably as frustrated as he was, if not more because she was still dealing with her missing memories. He couldn't imagine the emotional turmoil she had to be feeling now. All he could do was try to be there for her, support her. Like he should have been doing throughout her pregnancy. He should have been there for the delivery, support her even if all he could do was offer his hand for her to crush in what he knew would be a dead grip. Like his little girl, Charlie's birth had taken place without him as well as he'd been on a mission at the time. After Charlie was born, he had vowed he wouldn't miss any of the other important moments and, if he would ever be lucky enough to have another baby be there for the next delivery. He had still failed to be there for his firstborn on many important occasions because of his work in black ops and he had even failed him in the end, while they were home. If he hadn't been home, his gun wouldn't have been accessible in the first place. Now, he had a new wife and a new baby; this time he wouldn't fail.

Carter was looking exhausted and he had a nagging suspicion that if he were to look in a mirror he'd see the same tiredness on his own face. But  _she_  was still pretty, despite her fatigue. "C'mon," he beckoned her over and grabbed her hand as soon as she was in reach. "G'night guys," he said as he turned to the others, gently tugging his wife's arm.

Sam rubbed her tired eyes and gave him a small smile. "Yeah, I'm beat. I could use a goodnight's sleep. Goodnight guys."

"Sleep tight," Daniel replied, before yawning himself.

Thor blinked at the two Tau'ri warriors. "Pleasant dreams," he wished upon them, knowing it was a popular Tau'ri phrase even though Asgard did not experience these dreams and he had no idea how they could be pleasant. "I shall process the assembled data in the coming hours and together with Heimdall I shall confer with Commander Aegir in the Ida Galaxy and Councilor Freyr in the Born Quadrant."

"I'm going to finish this," Daniel gestured towards his book, "and then I'll hit the sack too. Janet and Teal'c already went to their quarters."

Jack nodded and with that, turned around and left them still holding Sam's hand. "You look tired," he stated as she took two quick steps to walk by his side, knowing she wasn't the vain type who would be insulted.

"It's been a long day," she replied softly, squeezing his hand. "What about you?"

He shrugged noncommittally and looked at her. "I'm no good at sitting around," he admitted.

"Neither am I," Sam snorted, shaking her head. "I just wish there was something we could do, other than keeping an eye on the computer when we're scanning another planet."

"Yeah," he mumbled as they made their way to their personal quarters. "At least Daniel can always find something to research in his books."

She grinned, bobbing her head. "Heimdall, Thor, Janet and I already went through the data we brought back from Ba'al's ship and now there is nothing left for me to do but wait."

Jack understood completely, having first-hand experience with a bored Carter from when she was still his 2IC. They stopped in front of their door, waited for it to open before he pulled her inside. "Bathroom," was all he said when she walked towards the bed in the bedroom. Seeing her frown, he quirked a brow. "I can practically see the wheels turning in your head; you need to relax or you won't be able to get any sleep," he explained, rolling his eyes even though her mind was one of the things he loved about her. If she would continue to over think the situation they were in he knew she would stay awake for a while, which indirectly meant he wouldn't be able to sleep either if she was moving around since he was a light sleeper.

"Okay," Sam relented, allowing him to drag her into the bathroom. She wasn't very keen on the idea of taking a bath, though. It was true it would normally relax her but since Janet's hypnosis session it was as if she was assaulted with memories every time she was in here.

Noticing her reluctance once he turned on the water in the tub, Jack turned to her. "Something wrong?"

"No," she replied a little too quickly.

He gave her a quick onceover and squinted. "What's up, Carter? C'mon, spill." He found it hard to believe she was nervous about taking a bath with him or even in his presence, since he'd already been here last week when she was in the tub and that was when their relationship was still slightly strained. Since then they had gotten closer and more comfortable around each other. There was more physical contact; even if it was only holding hands or wrapping their arms around each other. They slept together, although they hadn't gone any further than snuggling, kissing and caressing this past week. Both their minds too preoccupied with the search of their child for anything else, even if it would bring comfort to them. "Look, why don't I just wait out there," he gestured towards the door, "while you take your bath. I'll take a shower afterwards."

Sam hadn't been prepared for the panic his words caused and lunged forward as he tried to pass her. "No, wait," she exclaimed, her nails almost digging into his BDU jacket. Seeing his resigned expression change into concern, she silently berated herself for acting so foolishly; she could just take a shower and be done with it. No need to burden him with it. "Never mind," smiling wanly she released his arm and gestured towards the shower-like device. "I'm just going to take a shower."

"But that won't be as relaxing as a bath," Jack said slowly, his mind trying to figure out why she was acting so strange. After all, it was Carter who had introduced him to the magic a hot tub could do, especially when shared with a hot blonde, who happened to be his wife. "Soaking in the tub always makes you sleepy," he added, knowing she preferred it over a shower before bedtime.

She grimaced briefly, glancing at the tub and the shower. "I'm already exhausted; the shower will be just fine. Besides, I'll probably fall asleep if I relax too much."

"Which is why I figured I'd join you," he mentioned cautiously. It was obvious to him that something was wrong but he wouldn't press her as she seemed determined to downplay it. "But if you want to take a shower, go right ahead," he gestured towards it with a fake smile plastered on his face. She nodded and lowered herself to the edge of the bath, letting out a deep sigh before leaning over. Jack automatically kneeled in front of her and batted her hands away as he started working on her boots, loosening the laces. "Let me."

Leaning back to give him some room, Sam sat up, her hands gripping the tub's ledge tightly as she tried to relax herself. Once he was done with her first boot, she stretched her other leg in his direction, all the while concentrating on her breathing and suppressing the shudders that were going through her. Glancing over her shoulder she realized the water for the tub was still running. "Do you want to take a bath once I'm done?" She asked quietly, feeling upset with herself over her inability to confide in him. But she also knew how much he was affected by everything already and refused to add to his burden just so she could feel better.

"Nah," he shook his head, briefly glancing up at her while his fingers kept working on the laces. "I prefer taking my baths with a hot blonde," he mischievously added with a smirk, trying to add some levity to their situation.

She chuckled nervously and reached out to the faucet. Her hand was shaking though and it took some effort to grab the taps and turn off the water flow. "Thanks," she mumbled as he pulled off both boots and set them aside.

Jack straightened and gave her a reassuring smile. "Are you sure you're okay?" He questioned, noticing the tight grip her hands had on the tub, her knuckles almost turning white. "Hey," he murmured softly, his hand coming up to caress her cheek – the skin under his palm feeling cold and a bit clammy. "Sam?"

"I'm fine," she lied in a shaky breath.

"No, you're not," he argued, his left hand covering her right on the tub. "You're pale and freezing," he added, brushing her bangs back. The hair was a bit plastered to her forehead and the temperature here wasn't that high. "What's wrong?"

Sam stiffly shook her head, biting her lip. "Nothi-"

"Carter," Jack growled, scowling at her. Her eyes started tearing up and that's when he knew for sure that something was very wrong. "Tell me," he pleaded in a whisper.

"Just…" she swallowed hard, her breathing sounding overly loud in the quiet bathroom. "Just, ah… bad memories," she said softly, her eyes darting to his before looking away again.

Giving her cold hand a last squeeze, Jack brought his up to cup her face with both hands. "About…?" He urged her, turning her face to hold her gaze. She had mentioned some insignificant memories returning from her time in captivity and he hadn't pushed her to tell him, but now he started wondering if she'd been fooling him all this time. She was obviously disturbed about  _something_.

Sam blinked against the tears and bit her lip even harder as she gazed into his warm eyes. His eyes were dark and she could swear she saw emotions – sadness, concern, anger, love and more – swirling inside them, battling over dominance. "Water," she whispered. "Warm water…"

"The tub," he stated more than asked, understanding dawning on him. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, he continued. "Not the shower… why?"

Nonplussed, she looked at him. "There was only a bath-"

"Bathing area," Jack finished for himself, nodding slowly. Narrowing his eyes, he willed her to believe him. "You're not there anymore, Sam. You're here, safe aboard an Asgard ship."

"I know that," she huffed, trying to turn her face away from his intense scrutiny.

Letting his hands fall, he took a deep breath. "How long has this been going on?"

For a moment, Sam was puzzled. "Oh, since Janet put me under hypnosis, I guess."

"That was over a week ago," he mumbled, wondering how he could have missed something so important. Now that he thought about it, that had been around the last time he'd noticed her taking a bath. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You have enough on your plate already," Sam explained in a soft tone, dipping her head.

Gently lifting her chin, Jack held her gaze. "You're my wife, Samantha. The only way we're going to get through all this," he made a vague hand gesture, "is together."

She gave him a small smile and shrugged. "I'm sorry-"

"You don't have to apologize," he insisted, shaking his head. "Tell me what you remember."

"I really don't want to bother you with this," she replied hesitantly. "I'm being ridiculous; I'll just get into the bath," Sam decided, gently pushing against his chest so she could rise.

Jack took a step back, frowning. He watched her as she started shedding her clothes, her hands still trembling and he guessed she was trying hard to keep her body under control. "Carter," he groaned, grabbing her hands to still them. "Tell me."

"It's just," she started, before stopping herself. Gnawing on her lip, she protectively crossed her arms across her breasts – only standing there in her BDU pants and bra – and stared at the floor.

He silently urged her on as he cocked his head, waiting for her to continue. When he noticed her shoulders shaking slightly, a lump formed in his throat and he swallowed hard. "C'mere," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her, keeping her close to his chest.

Sam nuzzled his neck, her eyes closed, enjoying the feelings he evoked in her; they were far better than those accompanying the memories. With effort she was able to uncross her own arms as he held her tightly, and wrapped them around his slim hips, her hands bunching in the fabric of his BDUs on his lower back. "I keep seeing him," she confessed, finding it easier to explain when she wasn't facing him.

"Ba'al?"

The name was spoken sharply, almost dripping with hate as it rumbled through his chest. She simply nodded against his skin. "He's watching me," she continued slowly. "His dark eyes roaming over me, sometimes they're glowing and he's smirking."

Jack fought to keep silent, not wanting to pressure her while all he wanted to do was shake her until she told him every last thing so he could plan his revenge on the snakehead. Giving her time, he tightened his grip around her and buried his face in her hair.

"Every time he was near, I felt this tingling sensation in my stomach," Sam mumbled, her voice muffled by his neck. "It made me queasy and sometimes combined with his intense scrutiny literally made me sick."

He clenched his jaw, fighting the emotions her words conjured and trying to keep his mind from jumping to conclusions. But it was Ba'al. Jack felt her cold nose against his skin as she sniffled softly. "Go on," he said in a placating tone, contrary to what he was feeling.

She grimaced; scrunching up her nose and screwing her eyes shut tightly and tried snuggling closer to his warm body. "Taunting me," she mumbled, still fighting the memories. "He'd watch my every move, making snide comments and simply sit down to observe while I was bathing."

Rubbing soothing circles on her back, Jack tried to comfort her somewhat, unsure of what he was supposed to do. "Did he… did he ever," he cleared his throat, not knowing if he wanted to ask the question because that meant getting a definitive answer.

"He didn't touch me," Sam tried to reassure him and, feeling his body relax a bit, figured she succeeded. "He was just… watching."

"I'm sorry, Sam," he mumbled in her hair, pressing a kiss to her temple. Seeing her frown as she leaned back and looked up to him, he cocked his head. "I never should have let you get abducted-"

"You're not responsible, Jack," she huffed.

He simply nodded, even though he still felt like he could have prevented everything somehow. "Is there more?"

"She was there," Sam whispered, averting her gaze.

"The female Goa'uld?"

She bit her lip and tilted her head slightly. "Yeah… she was different."

"I can imagine," Jack muttered, remembering what he'd been thinking during their confrontation; she certainly wasn't anything like the other Goa'uld and yet that arrogance and pure evilness were still there.

Pressing her cheek against his chest, Sam frowned. "She'd escort me to the bathing area whenever she was around," she recalled from memory. "Sometimes she'd…"

"What?" He almost barked, chastising himself when she winced in his arms at his rough tone.

She took a quivering breath and clenched her fists in his shirt. "She'd touch me-"

"That goddamned bitch," Jack snarled, glaring at the wall in front of him.

"Like fleeting caresses," Sam confessed, struggling in his hold. "Jack, I need to breathe."

He hadn't realized he was squeezing her and immediately loosened his hold. "Sorry, I didn't meant to… she just infuriates me, if I could just squeeze the life out of that scrawny little neck of hers," he growled.

"I know," she whispered, leaning back in his arms to look at his face. "She didn't do anything else… I think she just enjoyed my reactions as she taunted me. It's just that sometimes I could swear I could feel her hands on me again," Sam shuddered.

"She's gone, Carter," Jack mumbled, trying to comfort her. "You're safe, she's not here."

Sam nodded slowly. "I know… she wasn't even being overtly sexual – well, she was but her touches weren't. I think they didn't want to harm me because of the baby."

He wasn't sure  _how_  he could be thankful that she had been pregnant at the time, but he was. There was a good chance Sam wouldn't have gotten out alive if she hadn't. Memories of his own times in Ba'al's fortress came to mind and a shiver ran through his body as he recalled the methods of torture the bastard had used. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you-"

"Don't be, we're here now," she replied, taking a deep breath. "We're going to be okay, Jack. Once we have our baby, we'll all be okay."

"Yeah," he grinned slowly, brushing some locks of her hair back. "I didn't mean to push you…"

"I know."

He narrowed his eyes at her, trying to read her. "I just had to know what happened and-"

"It's fine," Sam tried to convince him. "Maybe now that I've talked about it it'll go away." At least, that was what she was hoping as she stepped back. Feeling the temperature of the water in the tub, she turned towards him. "Still want to join me?"

"Yeah sure you betcha," Jack retorted after regarding – and deciding she was telling the truth – her for a moment. He watched as she turned on the faucet again and removed the last of her clothes. He followed suit and waited for her to get in. "Just relax," he told her, grabbing her meds – vitamins, minerals, birth control and some other stuff he didn't know – from the sink and handing them to her with a glass of water.

Swallowing them and handing him the now-empty glass back, Sam took in his toned body. "I thought you were going to join me," she remarked, waving towards the boxers – the only clothing item left on his frame.

"In a minute," he replied, sitting down on the edge of the tub. "Give me your leg," he motioned his hand.

She frowned but still lifted her leg. "Jack, you don't have to do that," she chuckled as he reached for her razor.

"You always say you sleep best when you've shaved your legs, took a bath and changed the sheets," he commented. "I changed the sheets this afternoon and you're in the tub now. I want you to relax and… you know, have some nice memories," he shyly added.

Sam nodded slowly, still amazed at how well he knew her and watched him as he applied shaving gel on her legs before expertly shaving them. She silently wondered if perhaps he'd shaved her legs before… before she'd gotten abducted. Then again, he probably had years of experience shaving and hardly ever had stubble as far as she'd noticed. Still, his movements were almost reverent and he didn't nick her once. "Are you getting in here, now?" She asked once he was done.

Jack smirked and after lowering her leg into the water, stood to quickly remove his boxers. He stepped in behind her as she scooted forwards and placed a leg on either side of her when he lowered himself into the hot water. Grabbing the showerhead he made sure to wash her hair properly before hanging it back to exchange it for her shampoo. Peaches, he knew. He loved the scent of her shampoo as well as her vanilla body lotion. During the time she'd been missing, he caught himself sniffing the products every now and then, just to remember. "Lean forward a bit," he instructed her, waiting until she braced her arms on the tub's ledge and did as told. Applying the shampoo he gently massaged her scalp until she was softly humming.

"You give the best massages," she commented, leaning back against his chest. His big hands and strong, lean fingers did wondrous things to her head – and the rest of her body. She automatically leaned forward again when he grabbed the showerhead to rinse her hair.

He clenched his jaw when she let out a little moan as the fingers of his one hand were massaging her scalp again. He loved the feeling of her hair, always had and now it was so much longer he could wrap even more of a strand around his fingers. "Just relax," he whispered, placing the object back to its original place and grabbing her shoulders. Gently pulling her back against his chest, he started massaging her shoulders.

Sam moaned again when his capable hands were kneading her sore muscles, her head lolling back to rest on his shoulder when his hands moved down her arms. "Feels good."

_That it does_ , Jack thought as he felt her smooth skin under his rough hands. He continued his ministrations until her body completely relaxed and then snaked them under water to rest on her taut stomach. "I love you," he whispered as his chin rubbed against her temple.

Her eyes fluttered open for a minute, a slow smile forming on her face. "I love you too," she pressed a soft kiss on his shoulder. Letting out a deep sigh, she tried to relax again.  _It's working_ , she realized as the memories stayed away. Entwining her fingers with his on her stomach, Sam gave them a little squeeze. "You know…"

"What?" he asked immediately, looking down at her face – which was wearing a slight frown now. "Something wrong?"

"The water," Sam started, shrugging slightly to indicate it as she was reluctant to disentangle their hands.

Jack shifted a bit so he could get a better look at her, craning his neck slightly. "The memories are still there?"

"Yeah," she mumbled, pensively gnawing on her lip. Seeing the concern on his face when she looked up, she shook her head. "Oh no, that's not what I meant."

"Then what, Carter?"

Keeping her hold on his hands, which he was trying to pull away, she cocked her head. "This is a different memory… somewhat good, I guess."

"Really?" he asked skeptically, wonder what she could be referring to as he couldn't think of anything pleasant that might have happened in the months she'd been missing.

"The baby," was all Sam said. Understanding how that wouldn't make any sense, she tried to elaborate. "She liked the water, was always kicking when I was bathing," she remembered. It had been one of few things that had calmed her, even if Ba'al and his lover had been present. "I know I didn't tell you this," she said hesitantly, trying to hold his gaze. "But I do remember a few things about her."

Jack swallowed hard at the mention of their daughter. "What?" He asked in a hoarse tone.

"I didn't want to upset you," she tried to explain. "But I gave birth to her in the water, Jack," Sam added, finally voicing what she had remembered since talking to him about the memories that kept assaulting her a few moments ago.

Overcome with emotion, he tightened the grip he had on her fingers. At least after Charlie's birth he had heard the stories and details… "Was-was she okay?"

Sam nodded slowly, trying to recall more of that moment. "She was more than okay; she was perfect, Jack," she smiled at him.

"What about you?" He quietly asked. "Were you okay?" He couldn't remember of hearing about Goa'uld and childbirth and doubted they had effective pain management for it.

"I don't remember much," she replied slowly, frowning. "There was pain of course, but mostly I remember pulling her out of the water and hearing her cry… not much after that either," she sadly admitted.

Lowering his chin on her shoulder, he gave her an encouraging grin. "We'll get her back, Sam."

"We will," she confirmed, pressing a kiss to his cheek. Leaning back against him, she closed her eyes.

After a while, Jack thought she'd drifted off when suddenly her hands started moving, taking his with them. "Sam?" He questioned softly as she disentangled their fingers and moved one of his hands… lower.

"Nicer memories," she reminded him, with a small frown on her face. "I want to replace them with better ones. I want to think of you, us, when I'm taking a bath, not them."

"Carter," he feebly protested. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," she smiled at him, finally opening her eyes to look at his dark ones.

Not able to deny her – or himself – for much longer, Jack moved his hand and parted her legs further before sliding it back up. His fingers started exploring her soft folds, letting the soft sounds coming from her mouth guide them. He could feel her body's reaction to his ministrations as he dipped one of his fingers lower, despite the water surrounding them. Gently circling her opening with one finger, his others found her little bundle of nerves and started caressing around it – not quite touching. "You feel so good," he murmured when his wife started moving against him.

Sam was about to tell him so did he, but opted for a breathless "More" as his long finger dipped inside of her. Grabbing his free hand, she moved it up until it cupped her breast. "Jack," she moaned at the combined pleasures he evoked in her.

He smirked against her ear and enjoyed the shudder that went through her body in response. She always shuddered when he whispered in her ear or teased it with his lips, tongue and teeth. He slid his finger fully inside of her, enjoying the feel of her around him as his fingers finally touched her clit gently. He knew how sensitive she could be so he started out slowly. Gently moving his finger inside of her, trying to reach…  _that_  spot, making her arch against him. "Easy Sam," he whispered as his hand kneaded her full breast. The absence of feeding meant she had finally stopped lactating a while ago but he suspected her breasts were still tender.

"More," she demanded again, covering his hands with hers. "I won't break," she breathlessly informed him as she urged him to be less gentle.

"Okay," he replied, sliding down another finger and thrusting it inside her, a bit rougher than the first. Increasing the pressure on her breast, he started toying with her hard nipple. It didn't take long before she was moving against his hands and his own desire was fueled. "You're so beautiful," he mumbled against her neck as he tasted, licked and bit the soft flesh. Adding another finger, Jack used the heel of his hand to rub her clit roughly, as his other hand tightened its grip on her luscious breast.

"God yes," she exclaimed, shamelessly grinding herself against his hand as his fingers thrust in and out of her. Sam used her own hand to stimulate her other breast while her other hand rested on his thigh, her nails digging in as he increased the pressure of his caresses.

The way she was moving against his hand only stimulated him further as her sweet six and lower back kept rubbing against him, the friction almost enough to get him off already. Knowing he couldn't last much longer, Jack increased the pace of his fingers and rolled her nipple between his fingers. The sight of her copying the movement on her own breast was almost too much for him, making him crush her clit against his hand as her inner muscles started fluttering around his fingers. "Come for me, Samantha," he softly ordered, adding a twist as his fingers thrust back inside of her.

The pleasure coursing through her body was mounting, making her throw her head back as her back arched. Her body searching for release by moving against his hand, her own fingers pinching and pulling on her sensitized nipples. "Oh God," Sam moaned as she felt the tingles spread through her, her release nearly shattering her in his arms.

"Easy Carter," Jack whispered as she came down from her high. His fingers slid out from her, gently petting her until she opened her eyes again. He loved watching her as she came apart, it was probably the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen. "Easy," he repeated as she started moving.

"Amazing," Sam mumbled, looking up at his loving face. "Let's get to bed," she suggested, feeling his arousal pressing against her back.

Quickly rising, he helped her up but placed his hands on her hips to keep her from getting out. "In a minute," he grabbed the shower gel and told her to turn around before lathering her body.

She took the showerhead from him to rinse herself, the water's temperature not diminishing the fire burning inside of her at the slightest as she watched him quickly soaping himself up. Once she was done, she licked her lips and quickly rinsed him off too. "Now?"

Mockingly rolling his eyes, Jack stepped out of the tub and swatted her six. "Come on, Colonel," he winked at her, reaching for a towel. When he turned back around, she was standing next to him. With immense self-control, he toweled both of them off, not lingering at all. Before he could even say anything as he threw the towel on the floor, Sam already darted towards the bedroom.

"Jack, are you coming?"

_Not yet_ , he thought, hearing her call. He took the bottle of body lotion with him and followed her. His breath almost got caught in his throat as he looked down at her naked body atop the covers. "God, you're beautiful," he murmured, never getting used to having her as his wife and having the privilege of seeing her naked – and much more. "But first," he held up the bottle as he crawled on the bed to join her.

 


	49. In Pursuit

Taking a deep breath, Jack's nostrils filled with the scent of vanilla body lotion and peach shampoo. He smirked, looking down at Carter's body snuggled up against him. He'd woken up from her hair tickling his chin as her cheek rested on his chest, face slightly tilted upwards towards his. Her warm body draped over his, her smooth legs brushing his hairy ones as she moved every now and then in her sleep. Soft curves pressed against the harder planes of his body. A lazy smile formed on his face as his hand traced the soft skin of her cheek, down the column of her alabaster neck, over the swell of her breasts and brushing her ribs covered by fabric until he reached her soft skin. She was wearing one of his button-up shirts that only barely covered the globes of her sweet six, and nothing else.

Her long legs were entwined with his, her face was still relaxed in sleep and the fingers of his other hand were tangled in her long blond locks. Despite everything she had gone through in the past few months and the fact that she didn't have any makeup on, she still looked beautiful – and much younger than him. Her soft and slow breathing caused goose bumps on his chest but he enjoyed the intimacy of their embrace too much to break his hold on her and turn them both on their side so he could spoon behind her. While he had been applying the body lotion on her lovely body last night, he had caressed her long limbs and back with a massage. After all the emotional distress from the past week, they had both needed the physical contact and he had been yearning the comfort her body could give him. Slowly, the caresses and ministrations had been building their desires resulting in a slow and gentle lovemaking.

Carter had immediately curled up against his side while they were both still trying to catch their breaths following their explosive climaxes. He had only scooted to the edge of the bed a bit to reach out and grab one of his long sleeves from the pile of folded clothes in the corner – he shouldn't have been surprised the Asgard didn't have closets since they don't have clothes either – to give her. After all, the Doc had said she was still vulnerable despite her recovery being almost complete and he didn't want to be responsible for his wife catching a cold or something more serious once her body cooled down because she was sleeping naked – no matter how much he enjoyed her silky skin against his. Once she'd slipped into it and snuggled up against him, they had both fallen into a blissful sleep and he hadn't awoken until now.

His breath caught when he felt her nails dig in his side unexpectedly and his own hand immediately came up to capture and still hers. It had been months since that had last happened and he'd almost forgotten how she would sometimes flex her fingers and scrunch her nose moments before waking up. It hadn't happened since he'd gotten her back but it usually only happened when they were both completely relaxed. Not when they were in a rush or stressed out because he only had a day or two before he had to go back to DC or she'd have to go back to Nevada or Colorado Springs.  _So it must have been…_

Jack frowned, realizing he had no idea what date it was as they had been too caught up in their search for the baby to take notice. He wasn't sure he wanted to know how long they had been out here already, searching for his little girl…. His thoughts went out the window when Sam stirred and blinked slowly. "Morning beautiful," he smirked, pressing a kiss on her nose. Her blue orbs stared at him and he briefly wondered if their baby would have the same enthralling eyes – as she was brown-haired and blue-eyed according to Thor.

"Hi," Sam mumbled sleepily. Reaching up, her fingers caressed the small frown on his face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he shook his head, trying to reassure her. "I was just thinking about the baby… I'm not sure if I can handle another female with those baby blues."

She smiled at his attempt at humor despite the seriousness of the subject – their baby. "I think she'll just be Daddy's little girl," she tried gently, unsure how to approach the subject of their daughter at this time. Both of them had painstakingly avoided the topic until last night, even though she  _wanted_  to talk to him about her.  _Need to talk about her_ , Sam told herself. If only to keep it all real.

Surprised, Jack cocked his eyebrow. He hadn't expected her to so easily join him in this conversation as he had meticulously avoided it, afraid he'd be insensitive or add to Carter's burden. "She'll have me wrapped around her finger in no-time," he said softly, "like another blue-eyed babe I know."

"Babe?" Sam snorted and rolled her eyes.

He shrugged, careful not to dislodge her from his chest. "She's a ba-be," he drawled. "And you're my gorgeous wife. Now, I know you have some memory loss but 'babe' is actually a term of endearment for one's lover or a pretty young woman," Jack patiently explained, smirking. "Just ask Danny-boy."

She lightly punched his chest, before resting her forehead on it in exasperation. Thinking, she started grinning and slowly raised her chin, looking at him from underneath her lashes. "So, you don't mind me calling you babe?"

He cringed at that: he should know better than tease her, especially when she had that glint in her eyes. "Never mind, let's just call the baby ba-be, hm?"

"Jack?" Gnawing her bottom lip, Sam nervously looked at him. "We're going to have to come up with a name eventually."

Letting out a deep sigh, he nodded slowly. Normally, picking out names was a fun and exciting experience – he knew, from when Sara was pregnant with Charlie – but this time he almost feared it. If they gave her a name, it would all become so…  _real_. He'd been thinking about this a lot, ever since they found out about the baby and he never could help the dark thoughts his mind came up with; what if they failed to find her in time? Then they would never get to call her by her name, maybe not even be able to _name_  her. What if Ba'al had already named her? Would they find her in time or would it take them so goddamn long that she'd be more attached to the Goa'uld than her own parents? What about that nano-virus Ba'al had probably in his possession? It could be a matter of weeks or maybe even days and their baby wouldn't be a baby anymore! She'd have her own name, her own identity and wouldn't even know them… "I know," he sighed, flopping back on his pillow.

"Do you-" She frowned and tried again. "Did we…"

"What?" He asked curiously, wondering why she seemed nervous.

"Her name," Sam tried. Seeing he was still clueless, she rolled off him and leaned on her elbows. "Obviously we were thinking about having kids," she started explaining, feeling uncomfortable and once again cursing that damn Ba'al who had taken her precious memories. "You know, since I wasn't on birth control and-"

Understanding dawning on him, Jack nodded. "Yeah, we weren't sure how long it would take to… you know. It's not like we had everything planned yet."

"So… no names?" She asked cautiously.

"No, we haven't discussed names yet," he confirmed, giving her a small smile. "We didn't even know if it was meant to be, so…"

Sam nodded slowly, somewhat relieved to hear that there wasn't another lost memory to add to her list. "I guess that means we'll have to start thinking about a name then," she suggested. "Or did you already have something in mind?"

* * *

Slowly opening her eyes, Astarte glanced around her private chambers and noticed the time. As usual, her internal clock was working properly and she had awoken just in time. Turning her head, she took in the sleeping form of her lover. He remained fast asleep, to her satisfaction. Moving cautiously she rose to a sitting position, the satin sheets sliding down her naked skin. Unperturbed, she slipped out of bed and padded across the bedroom to her audience chambers, barefooted. Before opening the doors her eyes perused the room once more and she reached for one of her capes, draping it loosely around her shoulders against the cold. Deciding her consort had not awoken and the audience chamber was devoid of servants, Astarte entered the room. She waited for the doors to slide closed behind her before making her way over to the small container that held her long-range visual communication device.

She reached inside and placed it in the palm of her hand. The small size meant she was able to conceal its presence without great difficulty. The corners of her mouth curled up into a small smirk as she brushed the top of the sphere with her fingertips, activating it with an almost reverent caress. Her heart beat once, twice… three times before the sphere darkened, a black mist swiveling inside preceding the appearance of her lord. "My Lord," she greeted respectfully, dipping her head briefly.

 _"Astarte, my love_ ," his deep voice greeted her.  _"As always, you are most punctual."_

"Of course," she acknowledged in a matter-of-fact manner.

His dark gaze studied her features as a ripple went through the sphere. " _Report, my sweet."_

"We are ahead of schedule, my Lord. It will not be much longer until we can implement our final step."

 _"Excellent_ ," he smirked, obviously smug.  _"Is everything ready?"_

Smiling coyly, Astarte batted her lashes. "Ba'alat has fertilized the ova, we have acquired the virus and are en route to the repository as we speak."

_"What of the child?"_

"My Kotharat are caring for her; she is in good health," she replied curtly.

He nodded slowly, a small smirk still adorning his handsome features.  _"You have remained inconspicuous?"_

"He is unaware," Astarte confirmed, glancing towards the still-closed door behind which her consort was sleeping. "As I reported before; I have interacted with the Tau'ri aboard the ha'tak."

Making a dismissive gesture, he did not seem to mind.  _"Those pesky Tau'ri are unworthy of learning of your existence. They should feel honored."_

She accepted the compliment with a small smile and raised a delicate eyebrow. "I must agree. However, O'Neill and his companions did not appear to."

 _"Fools_ ," he huffed.  _"In time they will learn to appreciate your talents, my love. At least we can shape one of their own to our image."_

"Indeed," she concurred with a nod. "Ataratah will soon realize her true potential and will bring shame on the efforts of her progenitors."

He gleefully rubbed his hands at the prospect.  _"Did you not forewarn Colonel Carter of this when she was still carrying the child within?"_

"I did," Astarte acknowledged, the memory fleeting but stored in her vast mind. "During our confrontation I even promised O'Neill to ensure her true potential would be realized; they will soon learn to reckon with a true force, one not bound by petty rules."

 _"The mere thought of the inhibited potential of the two Tau'ri make me sick; had they not been our adversaries we could have ruled the galaxy with them by our side_ ," he mumbled pensively, staring at something outside of the scope of the sphere. His eyes snapped back to her, as if he suddenly realized she was still there.  _"I digress_ ," he smirked apologetically.  _"What of Ba'alat?"_

She rolled her eyes in annoyance, thinking of the Queen. "I have fed his suspicions and she remains unaware of the final steps of our plan. However, unless the capacity of her brain has diminished over the centuries I will presume she has surmised some of our objectives as she already has knowledge of Ataratah and should be spawning prim'ta within the day."

 _"She cannot be trusted_ ," he narrowed his eyes as he warned her.  _"She will contact you when she has spawned?"_

"As he has instructed her," she affirmed with a nod of her head.

He rubbed his chin pensively, most likely deep in thought as he contemplated his next move.  _"Once she does you will send one of your most trusted Jaffa to retrieve them."_

"All of them or merely the most promising, my Lord?"

 _"Your Jaffa must ensure_ all _the prim'ta are taken_."

Astarte canted her head in curiosity and gave an almost imperceptible nod to his instructions. "Very well, I shall instruct Jabir, one of my most capable commanders on Kadesh to take a battalion of his men and do as you instructed."

He grinned with obvious approval.  _"Excellent, my love."_

"Would that be all, my Lord?" She questioned cautiously, aware that she should not leave her lover for too long in case he would wake.

 _"I have been informed the Tau'ri have the support of the Asgard and they have been searching the Born Quadrant, before moving to Os_."

Her eyes glowed with outrage upon learning they had entered  _her_  quadrant. "Are you certain my Lord?"

He raised his brows in a silent question.  _"I am a God; gods are all-knowing."_

"Do not ridicule me, love," she replied, her teeth clenched in anger at this new development. "The Asgard must have been aware of the location."

 _"They will soon reach your section_ ," he stated in a calm tone.  _"Have your Jaffa intercept them and proceed as you wish."_

Surprised, she leaned back, her anger ebbing at this new prospect. "Anything?"

 _"Within reason_ ," he said placatingly, his own dark eyes twinkling at her zeal.  _"Send your underlings to join me on Praxyon; it is no longer safe on Kadesh if the Tau'ri and Asgard are aware of your presence in that section of space. You may also deal with Ba'alat; once she has achieved her goal she is of no further use."_

"Of course, my Lord," Astarte dipped her chin courteously as enthusiasm was burning through her veins like wildfire. Recognizing his facial expression, she gave him a flirtatious smile and bowed. "I shall contact you once the next step has been completed," she promised, once again brushing her fingers over the sphere. The handsome features of her smirking lord slowly clouded with black mist until the long-range visual communication device deactivated. She placed the sphere back into its container and secreted it away before rising and returning to her private chambers to join her lover.

* * *

Several hours later Daniel and Janet were going over the star map, Jack and Sam were monitoring the ship's sensors, Teal'c joined them on the bridge after training in what they had designated the gym and Thor was eating, while Heimdall was in his lab.

"Thor," Jack called out, after spotting a blip on the monitor. "I'm picking up on something."

Placing a yellow cube back on his plate, Thor padded over to the console and readjusted some of the stones. "It appears to be a fleet of ha'tak vessels."

"Any snakes aboard?"

"It appears to only contain Jaffa."

Jack frowned and glanced over his shoulder. "T, are your Jaffa buddies supposed to be here in Oz?"

"Indeed they are not," he replied stonily.

"Either it's them, a group of other Jaffa or some Goa'uld left home and let his Jaffa free reign."

Cocking his head, Teal'c glanced at his friend. "Apophis often allowed me to venture with my men and insisted I contact him on regular intervals."

Jack shrugged, his eyes not leaving the screen. "That was in the old days, back when there were still Goa'uld in the galaxy. I doubt any Goa'uld other than Ba'al would allow his Jaffa to roam free and even for him that seems slightly insane."

"I shall attempt to hail them," Thor informed them before executing his movements. "This is Supreme Commander Thor of the Asgard Fleet, identify yourself."

The large screen flickered before an olive-skinned Jaffa appeared with a vaguely familiar symbol adorning his forehead.  _"I am Jabir, commander of my mistress' fleet."_

"Who do you serve?" Teal'c boomed, never before encountering a Goa'uld who would refer to themselves as female unless she was a Queen like Hathor.

 _"My Lady Astarte_ ," came his respectful reply.  _"She has asked me to contact you."_

A silence descended upon them as everyone looked at Daniel.

"Why?" Jack asked, breaking that silence when no one else seemed able to move.

_"It is not my place to question my goddess. Yet she informed me of you, the insolent one, O'Neill."_

Turning to his friends, he pointed his shoulder over his thumb. "He's good."

"Ask him what the message is," Daniel hissed, still slightly excited at finding out the Goa'uld's name. He had been right: Astarte! That's why the Jaffa's tattoo looked familiar! Of course, this also meant they were probably close to her home planet!

Moving a stone, Jack did as told. "What did she want?"

 _"She will tell you herself_ ," Jabir replied, inclining his head before disappearing.

Jack frowned and turned to Thor. "I thought you said there were no Goa'uld aboard that ship?" Seeing his buddy shake his head, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Then why did he just leave?"

 _"O'Neill, we meet again_ ," the familiar face with the mahogany curls appeared on the screen, almost purring the words.

"Yeah, what'dya want?"

Astarte rolled her eyes mockingly.  _"Eloquent as always."_

Ignoring her remark, he shrugged. "Now, what message did you have for me?"

_"I want to offer you and Samantha the chance to join your daughter."_

He narrowed his eyes at her, not trusting that sly smile of hers. "What's the catch?" Jack asked, not moving when he felt Sam sneak up on him and took her hand behind his back.

_"No catch; you will surrender and join your daughter while your… friends will leave."_

"Why not just hand her over?"

Astarte leaned forward on the screen, her green eyes twinkling.  _"Jack_ ," she drawled sweetly,  _"may I call you Jack? Samantha and General sounds so… formal."_

"Whatever," he mumbled, squeezing Sam's hand.

_"I am not offering your daughter's freedom; I will not willingly let her go. Surely you must understand this? I am merely offering the both of you a chance to join us, me."_

He huffed. "Afraid we're closing in on you?"

_"I most certainly am not. You will not find Kadesh – or at least you will not know if you find it since I am not there, nor are my people."_

"Then why your offer?"

She smiled flirtatiously.  _"You and Samantha are both attractive; I do not mind sharing and this way you can have your petty family. Perhaps even more offspring. If we bundle our forces we-"_

"Not interested in taking over the galaxy," he interrupted her, feeling sick to his stomach by her so-called generous offer.

 _"Neither am I_ ," she replied, surprising them.

"You're a Goa'uld, aren't you supposed to have that imprinted in your DNA?"

Astarte merely shrugged.  _"Genetic memory is highly overrated, love. I have survived thousands of your years; you did not even know of my existence until recently. Had I wished to overtake the galaxy I had already done so, or die trying."_

Jack had to admit she had a point there, but he really wasn't interested in her memoirs. "Whatever," he rolled his eyes. "We're not going to join you; in case you've forgotten, Ba'al and I aren't exactly buddies and neither are you and me."

 _"We could be so much more_ ," she purred.

"Don't even go there," he barked. "We want our child back and we will do whatever is necessary to get her."

On the screen, Astarte smirked, obviously taken with herself.  _"I would be very disappointed if you did otherwise. I look forward to our next confrontation. You might want to haste yourself as children grow up rather fast. Farewell Samantha, Jack."_

"Well, that was weird," Daniel commented, grimacing at his food; he'd lost all appetite.

"Indeed."

* * *

"Did you succeed, my love?" Ba'al questioned when she returned from the peltac to join him for lunch.

Smiling, Astarte nodded. "I did."

"How long until they will reach Gubla?"

"If they find the coordinates on Kadesh now, it will still take them more than twelve hours to reach the other side of the galaxy," she replied, sitting down and reaching for a glass of wine.

He frowned. "Kadesh?"

"It was time for a new location," she shrugged. "My Jaffa have all been moved once I was informed of the Tau'ri presence nearing my planet."

"You were most fortunate," he acknowledged, silently wondering who had informed her.

She smiled up at him, studiously ignoring his questioning glances. "I was."

Ba'al smirked as his hand tangled in her curls. "What of the prim'ta?"

"My Jaffa have retrieved them from Gubla; a selection procedure has already begun," Astarte informed him coolly; she had already instructed her Kotharat once Jabir had delivered them this morning. They had been fortunate to receive Ba'alat's communication last night as they had entered the orbit of this planet, only hours after receiving her new instructions; the prim'ta had been spawned. "What of your plans, my Lord?"

He regarded her as she took a sip of her wine and he wrapped a curl around his finger. "I used the correct combinations of markings on the wall and the repository did indeed appear."

"For once your Jaffa were successful," she remarked as she glanced towards him, intrigued. "What of the device?"

Ignoring her first comment, Ba'al grimaced. "As expected, it did not respond to my presence; when I looked into it there was mostly blackness and some colored specks."

"Yes, as we had anticipated. Yet, we were not entirely certain; now we are. The child?"

"When I placed her in front of it, the device protruded further from the wall and she gurgled when looking inside," he informed her.

Astarte placed her glass back on the table, the corners of her mouth drooping in disdain. "It is most common behavior of such a young Tau'ri specimen when confronted with colorful lights."

"Indeed," he muttered, scowling. "Her head was too small for the repository to hold."

"Most unfortunate," she replied curtly. "We will try again in the evening. You have already started the treatment?"

"Yes, one of your nursemaids is overseeing it as we speak," Ba'al explained smugly.

Smirking, Astarte raised her glass in a silent toast. "Most excellent, my love."

* * *

"O'Neill," Teal'c's voice boomed through the corridor.

Not having heard him approach, Jack swiveled on his feet to turn and face his old friend. "Teal'c… I, ah, was just going to grab something to eat."

"I shall accompany you," he replied, easily reaching his brother-in-arms with long strides. "There are some matters Daniel Jackson, Doctor Fraiser and I wish to discuss with you and Colonel Carter."

"Okay," Jack drawled, a puzzled frown on his face, wondering what it could be. "Where are Space Monkey and the good Doc, anyway?"

Guiding them through the corridors, Teal'c gave him a sideway glance. "They have chosen to remain in the lounge. What of Colonel Carter?"

"She went to see Heimdall and Thor, I think," he pointed over his shoulder in the direction of where he came from.

"Very well," he inclined his head respectfully, before entering the lounging area.

"Daniel, Doc," Jack greeted casually as he strolled inside. "T said you wanted to discuss something with me and Carter?"

Looking up, Daniel smiled bashfully. "Ah yes, as a matter of fact there is something… where's Sam?"

"With our gray buddies," he replied, shrugging. "Something about conferring with the other Asgard for the possible location of Kadesh. Obviously it's around here somewhere since that bitch was trying to lure us away from it."

"Yes," he bobbed his head, gesturing to an empty seat.

Jack raised a brow but sat down anyway. "I need to sit down for this?"

"Oh no," Daniel shook his head, his eyes wide behind his glasses. "Just thought it would be more comfortable, that's all."

"Okay," he drawled suspiciously. "What's up?"

"Well Sir," Janet started when Daniel promptly looked at her. "Just… ah, logistics."

"Doc?"

Raising a brow and seating himself, Teal'c felt it necessary to explain. "O'Neill, what Doctor Fraiser is attempting to convey is that it appears prudent to request additional assistance from Stargate Command."

"Yeah Jack, think about it," Daniel added. "It won't be much longer until we find the planet and then we have to make sure to search it properly. Why not ask General Landry for some SG-teams?"

"We must not forget the tale of the flying serpent that protects the Goa'uld Queens."

Scrubbing a hand over his face, Jack nodded slowly. "I guess you're right, T. We're gonna need some extra firepower if we're going to take out a bunch of dragons. Some of the teams can do a recon while we look for-"

"Astarte," Daniel helpfully mentioned.

"That's not what I was going for, but yeah," he grimaced. "I'll go see if Thor can hook me up to the SGC."

Janet watched the general saunter away and stood. "I'm going to check the armory to see what the Asgard have and what we'll need in addition and also make sure the med kits are supplied."

"Can't we use that matter materialization thing Thor used for his food?" Daniel questioned, recalling how the Asgard computer core could make pretty much anything according to Thor. It made him wonder though, why the Asgard had always felt it necessary to beam up Earth technology – like their 'primitive projectile weapons' – when they wanted their help in fighting the Replicators. Perhaps the designs for P-90s was too 'stupid' or beneath them. He should ask them sometime, when they weren't trying to save the galaxy.

"I'll ask him when I'm done," she replied, before briskly walking towards the cargo bay.

Turning towards the Tau'ri archeologist, Teal'c regarded him for a moment. "Daniel Jackson, do your books describe the possible physiology of these flying serpents?"

"Ah, I'm not sure," he stammered, quickly getting up to look at his notes on the Seraphim and Tianlong – he still wasn't sure which they would come across. "Why?"

"I deem it prudent to be prepared for battle," he stated as he too rose and joined Daniel Jackson at his desk.

* * *

Standing over the child on the bed, Astarte raised a brow. "How much time needs to pass for the effects to become visible?"

"I cannot say for certain," Ba'al replied, his eyes trained on both females. "I have adjusted Pelops' research and made my own calculations. It should take mere hours."

"He was a fool; not simply because of his simple experiments but he did not even try to conceal his research."

He nodded slowly as he adjusted the transmitter. "Yes, there were hardly any security measures taken," he acknowledged. "Yet I have inspected his notes and they appear genuine."

"I am aware," she affirmed.

"It appears the child is becoming attached to you," Ba'al chuckled softly at his consort's indignant glare. "She is smiling at you."

Grimacing, Astarte scowled at him before returning her gaze to the child. "It is most likely an involuntary spasm of her facial muscles."

"It is not," he reminded her, knowing she was just as aware of it. "You should be pleased."

"I am not," she groaned. "I do not feel the need to mother a Tau'ri child. We will bond once she is of age, not before."

Reaching for his hypodermic syringe, Ba'al grabbed the child's arm for a new injection. "Obviously she already adores me," he smirked as the child smiled at him and reached out her chubby hands.

"How can she not, my Lord?" Astarte mockingly inquired. "What of the prim'ta?"

"We will inject them as well in the opposite chambers," he gestured towards the doors. "Call upon the Kotharat carrying our latest companions."

"As you wish," she replied, ducking her head before leaving him with the child.

Once he was done, Ba'al returned the equipment and reached for his healing device. Slowly, he scanned the child and was satisfied when he became aware of the virus in her system. "I will return shortly, my sweet," he smirked at her and turned around. Opening the door, he glared at the Jaffa priestess in service of his lovely consort. "Remain with the child until I return."

"Of course, my Lord," Ki'fi replied, bowing before rushing towards the female infant. She gently picked her up as she noticed the child was still awake. "Time for your feeding, Deasura," she stated respectfully. It did not matter she was a mere child; the male Jaffa had conveyed the stories of her powers and it would not be long until Ki'fi would see the evidence of her divinity with her own eyes.

* * *

"Are you sure this is the planet?" Jack asked as he eyed the analysis of the planet's scans. It was all in Asgard, but after having checked so many planets he'd lost count, he had become quite adept at interpreting these results. "There aren't any snakeheads present according to this," he gestured towards the screen.

"Indeed, I am quite confident, O'Neill," Heimdall replied. "The amounts of naquadah on the planet are congruent with Goa'uld presence. There are also trace amounts of specific energy our sensors have found and analyzed, which indicate several Goa'uld ha'tak vessels have entered hyperspace recently."

"You can see that?" Daniel questioned in amazement.

Heimdall tipped his head to the side. "Correct; the formation of a hyperspace window will leave a specific energy signature for a short amount of time. Councilor Freyr aboard the  _Samantha Carter_  immediately analyzed the vicinity of the planet once he discovered the amount of naquadah on the planet."

"Freyr?"

"Yes Jack," Sam nodded, gesturing towards the screen. "After we ran into Jabir and Astarte, we," she indicated Thor and Heimdall, "discussed the possible locations for Kadesh with the other Asgard since we were obviously close. Freyr had already finished in the Born Quadrant and was heading towards us-"

"Oz," he corrected her.

She frowned for a moment, before she understood. "Well yes, but he wanted to meet up with us here in the Os Quadrant. Instead, his satellite scanners discovered this planet when he was underway and relayed it to us. It's about twenty minutes from our rendezvous with the SG-teams."

"When will they get here anyway?" Daniel wondered aloud, glancing at Jack.

"We are nearing the coordinates of the designated planet," Thor informed them.

Jack shrugged at his friend. "They should gate there any minute now, Daniel. I told Hank to send me all the recon teams and some of those recruits that weren't otherwise involved."

"I have assisted Doctor Fraiser with the inspection of our arsenal and medical supplies; since Daniel Jackson's sources of information are unreliable and unclear we cannot be certain our weapons will be effective against the fiery serpents," Teal'c informed them.

"I know," he smirked. "I already asked Thor to make us some of those plasma beam thingies," Jack explained. "Handheld of course, we can't carry the ones attached to this ship around."

Thor padded over to his console to observe the progress of the matter materialization technology. "The handheld plasma beam weapons are almost complete and the personal cloaking devices are already done."

"Cool."

"Indeed."

Sam rolled her eyes at their boyish enthusiasm and cleared her throat. "So, we'll pick up the SG-teams, head to Kadesh and move to the planet, right?"

"Yeah sure you betcha," Jack replied as he walked over to the 'window', seeing them enter the orbit of the designated rendezvous point.

* * *

"SG-16 and -7 will scout the south city two klicks from here, SG-2 and -5 you're checking this town, while SG-3, Doc Fraiser and SG-1 is with me," Jack ordered as they stood at the edge of the city after Thor had beamed them all down on Kadesh. A chorus of "Yes Sir" sounded from the men and women on the teams.

"Sir?"

"Hailey?" Jack glared at her.

Jennifer swallowed and nodded briefly. "Yes Sir, where do you want us?" She gestured behind her, where the other airmen not assigned to a team were waiting.

"Hm," he frowned for a moment. "Reynolds, you take Hailey," he ordered. "Mitchell, you're with Feretti, Satterfield is with Altman, Fisher with Thompson and Menard with Paulson."

Waiting until the four lieutenants and Lt Col Mitchell had joined their respective teams, Daniel stepped up to Jack. "Um, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"You were the one that insisted I take more SG-teams with me."

"I know," he rolled his eyes, "but Menard? The guy's worse than Rothman in the field!"

"He specializes in naquadah, Danny-boy," Jack replied in a placating manner. "In case you weren't paying attention to Heimdall; there's a lot of naquadah on this planet. Besides, Hank already sent him through the gate. Now that he's here, he might as well make himself useful."

Raising his brow, Teal'c turned towards them. "Did the Asgard not say there were no human, Goa'uld or Jaffa life signs on this planet?"

"Yeah, so I doubt he'll get himself in trouble."

Albert Reynolds stepped up to the three original male SG-1 members. "Sir?"

Jack pointed at the personal cloaking devices the Asgard had given them. "Use them, just in case. But remember they only block sound and scent, not body heat."

"Yes Sir," Albert replied, signaling his men – plus Hailey – to use the devices.

"Alright people, we've already briefed you on what's going on so you know what to do," he spoke up, addressing all the teams. "Still, this seems to be Astarte's home planet so watch your six. Move out!"

Sam and Janet watched the teams take off, everyone holding a P-90 – with the exception of Teal'c – or, if it was loosely hanging around their neck one of the Asgard handheld plasma beams and zats and handguns strapped to their legs. Sam couldn't remember the last time she'd fired a gun, or even held it, but the weight still felt natural. "Ready?"

"I think I should ask you that question, Colonel," Janet joked, smiling at her. She was amazed with how easily Sam slipped back into Colonel Carter, despite not being able to recall any memories about her weapons training. Still, it was obvious her instincts were still there as she had shown when the General insisted she practice in the cargo bay by shooting at a force shield. Of course, every single shot had been perfect, therefore he couldn't object to taking his wife out on the field. Not even Janet herself could think of a plausible reason to keep Sam aboard, not this time.

"I'm fine," she replied confidently.

"Sweet," Jack whistled, overhearing her reply. "Because we're off to see the wicked witch."

Adjusting the handheld plasma gun, Daniel frowned at him. "You do realize she isn't home, right Jack?"

* * *

"Crap," Jack exclaimed for the umpteenth time. "Nothing?"

 _"No Sir_ ," came Reynolds' reply through the radio.

"Well, that's exactly what we've got here too," he mumbled. "Okay, meet us back in the, ah… center room. O'Neill out," he let go of his radio and turned to his old team and the doctor. "Daniel?"

Looking up from the writing he had been studying, Daniel pushed up his glasses before speaking. "Oh yes, um… looks like we were right; this is Kadesh, ruled by Astarte the great goddess of… ah, never mind. Anyway, she's not here, no one is."

"Ya think?"

Sam snorted at that and walked over to the console. "Maybe there's something in the computer."

"Check it out," Jack ordered, before walking over to the door that led to the corridor from where Reynolds and his team would be coming from. "Reynolds, I want Hailey to check out the database with Carter, hurry up," he ordered into his radio.

_"Yes Sir, we're almost there."_

Waiting for them to get there, Jack radioed in with the other teams who all seemed to have run into the same nothingness as them. "Carter, can you copy that and take it aboard Thor's ship?"

"Not sure," Sam replied absentmindedly as she was skimming through the database. "It's got  _a lot_  of information and I'll need at least one extra crystal to transfer it on."

"I shall retrieve the crystals you need," Teal'c offered and, after receiving O'Neill's approval contacted Thor.

Daniel and Janet watched Teal'c disappear in a beam of light, both averting their gaze to the blinding light.

"Now what, Sir?" Janet asked quietly.

"Now-" Jack interrupted himself as SG-3 joined them. "Hailey, get your six over there," he barked, pointing at the computer. "We need to know where they went."

"Yes Sir," Jennifer replied, jogging over to the console. "Ma'am," she greeted the Colonel.

A white bright light suddenly appeared, giving form to Teal'c.

"Colonel Carter, I have the crystals you require," he stated, handing them over to her.

Sam simply nodded in reply and held out her hand, her eyes not leaving the screen. "I think I've got something. Daniel, didn't you mention that the Queen Ba'alat might be on a planet named Gubla?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed, jumping up. "Did you find it?"

"There's an address here," she replied, reading the coordinates aloud.

Turning to their commander, Daniel raised his brows. "Jack?"

"I guess that's where we're going then," he shrugged.

Raising a questioning brow, Teal'c showed his confusion. "O'Neill?"

"It just seems a bit too easy," Jack explained. "But it's better than nothing."

* * *

"Councilor Freyr is commanding  _Samantha Carter_ ," Heimdall felt it necessary to explain to the Tau'ri and the single Jaffa. "This new class of ships can travel approximately ten times faster than the  _O'Neill_ class at maximum velocity and it has better weaponry as well. Therefore, he will be the one to travel towards Gubla."

"Fine," Jack muttered, not really caring as long as he got there fast. "SG-3, Hailey and the Doc will go with us, but the other teams are still collecting evidence on Kadesh," he gestured towards the planet visible through the window.

"Very well," Thor inclined his head. "I shall remain in orbit while Heimdall and I will explore the Goa'uld database."

Jack barely had the time to respond before they were beamed over to Freyr's ship.


	50. The End

"Jalen, Malek," Garshaw called upon her fellow council member and the chief of security of their permanent base.

"Lord Garshaw," Malek greeted her and walked towards the grand counsel. "How may I be of service?"

Canting her head, she regarded him. "I was informed you were unable to contact the Tau'ri."

"Correct," he replied. "They have not responded to my transmission."

"Grand Counsel Garshaw, Councilor Malek," Jalen respectfully greeted them as she joined the two Tok'ra. "You called upon me?"

"Indeed," Malek confirmed. "As chief of security the High Council had requested I contact the Tau'ri, yet I have been unable to establish a communication."

Garshaw nodded slowly during his explanation. "Therefore, I wish to travel to Stargate Command with you, Jalen. After all, you were the one who discovered the ha'taks."

"Indeed, it would be a proper way to redeem ourselves with our allies," Jalen agreed with a curt nod.

"Now that most of our kind has undergone the zatarc detector test, I feel it is important to re-establish our relationship with the Tau'ri for all the harm Thoran and Delek have caused," Garshaw explained with disapproval in her voice when mentioning their former Tok'ra.

Pressing his fingers together in a steeple, Malek recalled his activity of the past two weeks since O'Neill had informed them of the betrayal of some of their own. "Everyone present has passed the test and those who failed have been dealt with. At the moment, there are only several untested Tok'ra because of their long-term undercover missions throughout the galaxy. They will be tested upon their first debriefing."

"The behavior of Delek and Thoran have done grave injustice to O'Neill and Colonel Carter, their offspring and the rest of the Tau'ri," Jalen concurred in an even tone.

"I shall attempt to contact them once more," Malek suggested, before bowing his head respectfully and leaving for his security chambers.

Turning towards her fellow council member and Tok'ra operative, Garshaw raised a brow, her lips pursed together. "Perhaps the information you have gathered these past few days will aid the quest of the Tau'ri."

"I wish the same, Grand Counsel."

"If not, at least we did not fail to inform them of the suspicious activity of the unmarked ha'tak vessels," she replied, a hint of sorrow in her voice as she recalled the anguish O'Neill and Colonel Carter had endured because of Delek and Thoran's silence.

* * *

"Holy shit," Albert muttered as he spotted one of the creatures through his binoculars. The Asgard Freyr had beamed him and his team down to the surface of the planet Gubla as well as General O'Neill, Colonel Carter and Teal'c while Daniel Jackson and Doctor Fraiser had remained aboard the  _Samantha Carter_.

"Sir?"

Glancing at Johnson, he handed him his binoculars. "Definitely looks like a dragon to me."

Jennifer impatiently waited for the burly captain to pass her the binocular, wishing she had one of her own. When he finally passed it on to her, she immediately found the dragon-like creature. "Ah, Colonel Reynolds?"

"What, Hailey?"

She winced at his loud tone as she lowered the instrument. "It looks like it's heading in our direction, Sir," she whispered.

Albert easily caught the binocular she threw in his direction and checked for himself. "Damn, looks like you're right, Lieutenant. Captain," he ordered in a soft tone, looking at Johnson, "you take Lieutenants Mooney and Hailey back to the ship and give a detailed description of the dragon to the Asgard and Jackson. Penhall and I will hold our position for as long as we can. Go!"

The trio nodded sharply, before retreating into the bushes behind them, trying to camouflage the bright white light that appeared as they were beamed up to the  _Samantha Carter_.

"Dammit," Albert groused, exchanging glances with Penhall. "This sucks," he clarified, motioning towards the creature with a tilt of his head as he aimed his P-90.

Steadying his HK SL8 sniper rifle, he nodded. "Yes Sir."

"O'Neill," Albert spoke into his radio, keeping his eyes trained on the creature. "We've spotted one of the dragon-like creatures. Johnson is taking the kids back to the ship and Penhall and I are keeping an eye on it."

 _"Yeah, we found a couple of them too. Looks like they've got sharp hearing_ ," came the general's whispered reply.

Swallowing he nodded. "You can say that again, Sir. Can't say I'm comfortable with its appearance, either," he replied in the same tone.

 _"Size isn't everything… Sirs_."

Albert coughed uncomfortably at the petite doctor's voice, not having realized she was on the same frequency since she was aboard the Asgard ship. "You're right, Doc," he whispered placatingly.

_"Sirs, the members of SG-3 are here. Daniel says the description sounds like that Chinese dragon."_

A short silence was heard, until the general's voice broke it.  _"And…?"_

 _"Well Jack, that probably means they can fly and are fiercely protective of their master_ ," Jackson's petulant reply sounded.

"With all due respect, doctor Jackson," Albert started, flattening himself a bit more on the floor when the creature looked in their direction, "how is that different from the other type you mentioned?"

_"Ah… well, um… it's suspected the Seraphim can actually breathe fire or incinerate people with their eyes."_

Hearing that, Albert let out a relieved sigh. He wasn't really into all those mythological creatures but during his years at the SGC he had learned to be open-minded; he definitely wasn't looking forward to have to fight a dragon that can kill you with the blink of an eye! Glancing to his side, he noticed Penhall looked slightly relieved too.

 _"Like laser eyes? Cool_."

Albert shook his head at his teammate and grinned at the General's child-like enthusiasm. "How do we disable it, Jackson? 'Cause I doubt a thing that size will be stunned by a zat."

 _"Ah, Hailey and Freyr have an idea_ ," Jackson announced.

He rolled his eyes, wondering if there would be a time Hailey would run  _out_  of ideas. Obviously, Colonel Carter had done a good job by selecting the young lieutenant for the SGC, but she wasn't very easy to get on with. Not like the colonel who, despite being a freaking genius, was probably the most likeable person he knew. "Let's hear it."

_"When I first observed the creature, I noticed the scaled body and Freyr told us about a creature that is distantly related to the Goa'uld; only it's much bigger and its thick skin can't be penetrated by bullets… this is probably the creature, Sirs. It can also detect naquadah and that makes it a good guard, because it can sense the presence of their master – and Jaffa. Oh, and they're carnivores, Sirs; they mostly eat humans, carrion and cattle."_

_"Swell,_ " the General sarcastically replied.  _"So, no zats or guns?"_

 _"The plasma beams from the Asgard should suffice, Sir_ ," Hailey quickly replied.

Within seconds, Albert changed his P-90 for the handheld plasma gun strapped to his thigh and signaled Penhall to do the same. "I guess we'll just have to shoot our way into the pyramid," he added.

_"Yeah, we've got your six, Reynolds."_

"Glad to hear that, Sir," he replied, smirking.

_"Jack, Janet, the members of SG-3 and I will beam down. However, Freyr says that the creatures are probably attracted to the energy signature from beaming tech and ring transporters, so keep an eye out."_

_"Yeah sure you betcha_."

Albert kept his plasma weapon locked on the dragon about six meters away as he waited for the rest of his team. Sure enough, as soon as he heard them in the bushes, the dragon pricked up his ears and slowly started walking towards them. "Dammit," he groused again. "I'll bet those creatures can run really fast too," he muttered as it picked up speed. "Hailey, Mooney, Johnson get your six out here," he yelled over his shoulder. No longer caring about the animal overhearing since it was already coming their way. As soon as his team was complete again, he and Penhall jumped up. "Let's head out!"

* * *

" _Supreme Commander Thor, we are receiving a transmission from Stargate Command_ ," Heimdall stated.

Hearing the scientist's voice over the intercom, Thor padded towards the primary console of  _O'Neill_. "I shall access it now, Heimdall."

 _"Very well, Commander_."

Within seconds the data package arrived and just as he was about to open it, a communication line opened. "General Landry," Thor greeted the commander of Stargate Command, the one who had replaced O'Neill several years ago.

 _"Supreme Commander Thor, good to see you again_ ," the man jovially greeted.

"Indeed. I have received your data transmission."

 _"Ah, good_ ," he chuckled.  _"Where's Jack?"_

Tilting his head, Thor opened the data package and replied.  _"O'Neill has taken SG-3, the former-SG-1 and Doctor Fraiser with him on_ Samantha Carter _. Councilor Freyr is transporting them to Gubla, a planet we suspect is the home of a Goa'uld Queen."_

General Landry nodded pensively.  _"I take it you haven't found Ba'al or the baby yet?"_

"Correct; your other teams are currently examining the abandoned planet of the Goa'uld Astarte, Kadesh," he politely informed the Tau'ri and relayed the other chain of events as well.

Once Thor was done, General Landry straightened in his chair, a small frown on his face.  _"We were contacted by the Tok'ra today; they ran into four ha'tak vessels as they exited hyperspace before the ships cloaked themselves and death gliders were deployed. They had to beat a hasty retreat, but felt it necessary to inform us of this since the ships used to belong to Anubis and yet they didn't have one of the locator beacons the Tok'ra have tagged most ha'taks with."_

"That is indeed interesting," Thor confirmed. "Were you able to acquire the coordinates of this planet?"

 _"Yes and what is interesting is that it's not in our database,"_  the general explained _. "It wasn't part of the Abydos Cartouche nor did Jack insert it when he added the addresses from the repository."_

Examining the contents of the data transmission, Thor found the address and compared it to the Asgard database of addresses. "It appears to be one of the addresses we have extracted from the Ancient database many decades ago," he informed the commander of Stargate Command, referring to the time they were able to extract parts of the information from one of the repositories. Since then the best scientists of their kind had been studying the vast data; not even the Asgard themselves had mastered the vast stores of Ancient knowledge. He narrowed his eyes pensively. "Perhaps Ba'al has found more Ancient technology or perhaps he is trying to use Anubis' knowledge to extract the information of another repository. The offspring of O'Neill is capable of activating Ancient gene-locked technology."

 _"To be honest, that's what I was afraid of_ ," General Landry sighed.

"I shall inform Councilor Freyr, Heimdall and the Asgard High Council of this new information."

_"Good luck!"_

* * *

Back on Gubla, inside the pyramid Daniel took position next to Janet and Teal'c against the wall, but his eyes were focused on a symbol on one of the doors. "Jack!"

"What?" He hissed, glaring at the young archeologist against the opposite wall.

"See that symbol?" He asked, pointing at it with his gun. It was a curled up dragon in a circle. "It is sometimes used to indicate the tianlong."

Craning his neck, Jack cast a glance at it, noticing the others doing the same. "So?"

"Well, that could mean it's a doorway to their nest or something!"

He scowled at his enthusiasm. "All the more reason to stay away from it."

"But Jack-"

"Stop whining, Daniel," Jack barked. "Reynolds, come in."

_"Yes Sir?"_

Shifting his handheld plasma beam in his hands, Jack signaled Teal'c to take lead. "We've entered the back entrance of the pyramid, what's your progress?"

_"Mooney and Penhall have secured the main entrance… Man, these guns are awesome!"_

"Yeah, very effective," he grinned, glancing appreciatively at his. It had taken a couple of well-aimed shots, but the dragon-like creatures had gone down without much fuss.

_"We're heading towards the center room as we speak, Sir. It's eerily quiet around here."_

He had to agree with that. "We'll head there as well, watch your six," Jack remarked before signing off. "Daniel and Doc you're staying here to keep this exit clear; do  _not_  let him go through that door, Doc."

"No Sir," Janet smirked.

"Teal'c," he motioned forwards with his hand.

Raising a brow, Teal'c turned to his commander. "O'Neill, I am not entirely at ease with this situation."

"Neither am I," Sam mentioned. "I keep getting that tingling feeling."

"Goa'uld?" Jack questioned, quickly casting another look around but seeing no one.

Clearing his throat, Daniel got their attention. "Ah, well… um, what I didn't mention is that the creature Freyr told us about feeds off newly-spawned prim'ta. That's probably why they serve the Goa'uld Queens… they can't eat normal symbiotes, so the Queen has to spawn a special batch for them. Apparently they need naquadah in their diet, but it can't exceed a certain amount or it will be deadly – you know, because they can't heal themselves like the Goa'uld can."

"And because of that symbol," Sam jerked her head towards it, "you think they could be near."

Worried, Jack scowled at Daniel. "The prim'ta or the dragons?"

"Either," he shrugged helplessly. "I promise I won't open the door."

* * *

After receiving the communication of Supreme Commander Thor, Freyr reached for his communication stone to contact O'Neill from orbit. "O'Neill, what have you found?"

_"We just entered the center room and there isn't a helluva lot here. We came, we saw, we slew a couple of dragons and… nothing."_

"There are various naquadah readings on the planet's surface," he informed them.

_"Yeah but… oh wait a minute…"_

Puzzled, Freyr stared at his console. "I shall."

After several minutes, O'Neill reported back.  _"Reynolds found a dead Goa'uld and a bunch of different type of dragons… looks like one of those naquadah bombs went off in the private chambers. Lots of rubble and the Doc estimates the time of death was between six and twelve hours ago."_

"I see," he replied pensively. "Nothing of the child or Ba'al?"

_"Nope… looks like this was the Queen though, because it isn't Astarte."_

Processing this new information into the computer, Freyr nodded his understanding. "Colonel Carter did not recognize this female Goa'uld?"

_"She's a bit charred… but-"_

"O'Neill, my ship's sensors are perceiving movement of several life signs with naquadah closing in on the building."

_"Yeah, Mooney just reported a couple of dragons heading our way… can you beam us up?"_

"I can," Freyr replied, moving his stone over the console. Moments later, the Tau'ri and the Jaffa appeared in a bright light on the bridge of  _Samantha Carter_. "Have you remained uninjured?"

Janet nodded as she took off her vest and weapons. "Yes, no one was harmed."

"I love these things," Albert enthusiastically told the Asgard, showing him the handheld plasma gun.

"I am pleased to learn of this information."

Jennifer shuffled her feet, pursing her lips together nervously. "Sirs?"

"What, Hailey?" Jack asked impatiently, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"With all due respect, Sir, don't you think we should examine the computer in the building, General?"

Freyr turned to his console and conjured up the information Supreme Commander Thor had sent him. "Indeed. I wish to suggest part of your team will remain here as I transport you to Supreme Commander Thor's vessel."

"Did something happen?"

"Correct," he nodded. "Stargate Command has contacted him to relay new information received from the Tok'ra about unidentified ha'tak vessels. They were in orbit of a planet of which we found the designations in the parts of information extracted from one of the Ancient knowledge bases."

Huffing, Jack turned to him. "Ba'al?"

"Very probable."

"We can't just leave SG-3 here on the planet while we fly back to the other side of the galaxy," Daniel grudgingly remarked. "We could handle a couple of dragons, but their family members appeared to have noticed and came for us-"

Holding up his small hand, Freyr interrupted the Tau'ri. "The Asgard vessels are capable of sending dematerialized matter from one to another over significant distances. I can safely send you to  _O'Neill_ while I remain here to supervise the movements of SG-3 and the creatures."

"You're sure that's… safe?" Jack questioned skeptically, not liking the idea of being sent all the way over to Thor's ship this way.

"I assume Freyr will use the beaming technology and a specific receiving platform on Thor's ship to safely send us there," Sam said casually. "Technically, it won't be that different from using the 'regular' beaming technology as-"

"Ack!" he held up his hand with a grimace. "I believe you. Let's do this, Freyr. Reynolds, you're in charge here; watch your six with those dragons and take as much of the information as you can."

Albert nodded sharply. "Yes Sir. Good luck!"

"Thanks," the words barely left his mouth before he felt himself being enveloped into the white light.

* * *

Pacing in her private chambers, Astarte tried to calm herself. Her ship was riddled with Ba'al's incompetent Jaffa now that Vi'tak had joined them in orbit with the ha'tak vessel he had taken to retrieve more of his lord's loyal Jaffa. She had kindly reminded Ba'al that perhaps he and his Jaffa should return to his own ha'tak, but he was reluctant to leave the child in her care, as she was only willing to spare two of her Kotharat. He did not think two would be enough to care for Ataratah and although Astarte had offered him a third priestess Lay'la for the nights, he had not accepted her more than generous offer.

She had only brought seven of her Kotharat, including Ba'na'frit who was carrying the maturing clone of Anat and two of them were nursemaids. The child did not need them anymore thus she had safely sent them to her other ha'tak, the one Saied – her second prime – was commanding before Ba'al would order them to take care of the child for him. They were quite qualified and she appreciated their efforts; they had been with the future goddess for weeks and not once complained. She had rewarded them by giving them time off before they would travel to Praxyon, relocate to another planet and there they would have to resume their duties as priestesses and nursemaids.

Ba'al might not approve of the way she ruled her people, but they were far more competent than his Jaffa. He did not even  _have_  proper nursemaids. If not for her and her trained Kotharat, he would not have known how to handle Samantha's delivery or take care of the infant. If rewarding her underlings proved effective, she would gladly do so. Her Jaffa had not once betrayed her and thought of her as just, benevolent and yet fiery. She was quite accomplished for a Goa'uld who had remained inconspicuous for millennia and together with Anat, they were a force to be reckoned with. In particular when they bundled their forces – Anat's prim'ta and her trained Jaffa – to attack an unsuspecting planet. It was true that they both enjoyed the company of their lord, yet he usually did not overcrowd them or their territory.

She had retreated to her private chambers as he visited Ataratah to observe her progress and now she was ready to take back control of her ha'tak. Briskly, she crossed the room and opened the door. Resuming her way to the peltac, she glared at the ogling Jaffa of her lord and made impatient and threatening gestures for them to move from of her path. Her reputation was of a fierce goddess who never failed to claim what she thought was righteously hers and fortunate for them, the Jaffa were wise enough not to bother her and heed her requests. If they would only leave her ha'tak.

"My Lady," Nassir greeted as his goddess joined them on the peltac. "I was ready to request your presence but-"

"What has happened while I was away?" She interrupted him impatiently, scowling at the present Jaffa. Had Ba'al's Jaffa already shown their incompetence and wreaked havoc on her ha'tak?

Turning to the console, Nassir showed her. "Mere moments ago our sensors detected a nearing vessel once a hyperspace window was opened."

Raising a delicate brow, she glanced at the screen. "Who has emerged?"

"No one as of yet…" he replied, his voice trailing off as an Asgard vessel appeared.

Astarte growled lowly, grabbing the nearest Jaffa on her left. "Inform Lord Ba'al the Asgard are approaching," she hissed, pushing him back.

"Of course, my Lady," the Jaffa stammered, making a hasty retreat in search of his lord.

"We are still cloaked," she stated more than inquired.

Nassir inclined his head respectfully. "Indeed, my Lady. I am unaware of how they were able to locate us."

"It does not matter," she dismissed, waving her hand. "Man the cannons and raise the shields to full capacity," Astarte ordered. Turning to her First Prime, she leaned into him. "Deploy the death gliders and ensure they are piloted by Ba'al's Jaffa," she instructed him in a low tone.

"My Lady, are you certain?" Nassir questioned, surprised as she always praised his men over those of her consort.

Frowning, she narrowed her eyes, somewhat shocked he would question her. "I am. After all, the Asgard's weapons are far more powerful and apparently their ships have been improved as well," she murmured. She had calculated the time it would take them to go from her planet Kadesh to Gubla, where Jabir had taken the prim'ta from Ba'alat before activating a naquadah explosive. For her calculations she had used the information stored in Anubis' database, amongst the data he had retrieved from Thor's mind the specifications for the Asgard vessels were present. They should not have been able to reach Gubla, let alone locate them here if they were using maximum velocity. "Ba'al's Jaffa are incompetent yet mediocre pilots; I would rather they attack the ship and lose their lives than my own men. It is not as if we will be able to cripple the ship, no matter who is piloting the death gliders."

Smirking at his goddess' deviousness, Nassir bowed. "I will follow your instructions, my Lady."

"Have you contacted my other two ha'tak vessels?" She questioned one of Ba'al's Jaffa near her controls.

"Ah… I have informed them of our plan of attack and they have raised their shields. Ba'dru has taken over command from Vi'tak and is preparing for battle," he replied nervously.

"Very well," she sighed, exasperated with his obvious support for Ba'al. "Leave me, all of you," Astarte announced once silence descended upon the peltac. She watched the Jaffa – her own and Ba'al – leave to arm themselves and the ship's weapons, and stepped up to the primary control console. She quickly contacted Saied and Jabir, both commanding one of her other ha'taks and relayed the information herself. Once she was done she was contacted by Ba'al, who was still with the child and told her they – he, Ataratah and her four remaining Kotharat – were safe in the child's chambers, which were surrounded by Jaffa. Normally that would somewhat reassure her, but she was quite certain most of those Jaffa were his own as they had already been assigned there by him. He refused her request to join her on the peltac and so she ended the communication.

Now that she was alone, Astarte contacted her true lord by using the ship's communications. "My Lord," she respectfully greeted him.

 _"Astarte, my sweet. We were not yet supposed to confer,"_ he replied, his tone slightly berating.

Dipping her chin, she cast her gaze downwards. "I am aware, my love. However, the Asgard have just submerged from hyperspace and are readying their weapons as we speak. I have no doubt the Tau'ri and the shol'va will board this vessel in search of the child."

 _"I see_ ," he muttered in a displeased tone.  _"Your defenses?"_

"They are in place but will not suffice; obviously the Asgard have upgraded their ships since the Supreme Commander's abduction as they are here ahead of schedule."

He nodded in understanding.  _"Very well. We should have foreseen this. Nevertheless, you will defend the ship until defeat is imminent. Ensure Ba'al,"_  he smirked despite the situation,  _"the child and the Kotharat remain safe."_

"In that order, my Lord?" She inquired with a puzzled frown.

_"Of course not; the child is our priority, the Kotharat carrying the prim'ta come second and Ba'al is expendable."_

She graciously accepted his instructions. "Very well, I shall see to it."

 _"This will not be a problem?"_ He obviously referred to her lover's status.

"Of course not," she echoed his words. "After all, I have you, my love."

 _"Excellent,"_ he smirked smugly.

* * *

Hearing the unmistakable clunk of Jaffa boots coming closer, Daniel searched for a safe place; there had to be a room around here somewhere! "In here," he whispered, opening the door. Thor had been able to beam them aboard Anubis' former mothership before its shields had been raised to full capacity. Despite being cloaked, the Asgard technology had been able to identify it because of the Ancient technology incorporated into it. They had been prowling the corridors and as far as he knew, they had managed to keep under the Goa'uld radar for now.

Jack walked backwards – his back against Carter's – pulling up the rear as Danny-boy, Doc, Teal'c and Carter entered the room before him. Once he stepped inside and turned around his jaw went slack. "Whoa!"

"Shh!" Teal'c insisted, his finger against his lips in a signal for silence. "They are asleep," he whispered in a nearly inaudible tone.

Signaling the Jaffa and Carter to keep their eyes trained on the creatures, Jack inserted his knife in between the two sliding doors to peek into the corridor. Silently praying those damn Jaffa would hurry up before these… things, would notice their presence. As soon as the last one passed, he pushed open both doors and ushered everyone back into the corridor. "What the hell, Daniel!"

"Sorry," he immediately apologized. "I hadn't realized that," he tapped on a small symbol on the pillar next to the doors, "is probably the sign for the Seraphim."

Janet winced at the furious expression on the General's face and held up her hand. "Let's not wake them now, Sir. Just get out of here."

"Oh!" Daniel exclaimed, suddenly remembering something. "Do you remember that pendant on Astarte's forehead tiara? It had six wings and a pinkish stone on it."

"Like that symbol," Sam muttered, jerking her head towards the pillar. "So, she controls the Seraphim?"

He shrugged, unsure. "I don't know, could be. I hadn't expected both possibilities…"

"At least they were caged," Jack commented dryly. Some of the dragons on Gubla had been chained in the corners of the room, but they had shot them as soon as they were spotted because he doubted a simple chain could hold these creatures. "Let's get moving."

 _"O'Neill_ ," Thor's voice came from the radios.  _"I have located a Goa'uld life sign, surrounded by Jaffa in chambers to your right. It is possible your offspring is present as well as there is an unidentified signal."_

Swallowing hard, Sam dug her nails in the palm of her hand. "The same as before?"

_"It is similar, yet not identical. Nor is it Goa'uld, Jaffa or human."_

"Are you sure it's not one of those fiery serpents?" Jack questioned, wanting it to be their little girl but not ready to be surprised by one of those Seraphim – that could apparently incinerate them with their eyes.

_"The signal deviates from that of the creatures you just encountered and those from the planet Gubla."_

Slightly relieved, he let out a sigh. "Teal'c, you take lead, I'll bring up the rear."

"Indeed," Teal'c replied evenly, readying his staff weapon before turning the corner.

Slowly but surely they reached the corridor Thor had referred to and Sam could feel her heart pounding in her chest. Her palms were getting sweaty and she knew it wasn't because of the heavy vest but simple nerves and anxiety of the possibility of yet another disappointment. Glancing over her shoulder at Jack, she could see he was just as nervous as she was – his face was a blank mask but his eyes told her a different story. She reached for her radio as Teal'c held up his fist at the end of the corridor. "Thor?"

_"There are twelve Jaffa guarding the corridor to your left, which leads to the Goa'uld."_

Jack didn't need to hear more and with a few quick signals instructed his team to take positions and get ready. "Go!" He said in a loud whisper once everyone was awaiting his order.

Within seconds, the five had shot the Jaffa with their zats – and Teal'c with his staff weapon – clearing the way to the chamber. They prowled the remaining feet to the door, their senses on high alert. Luckily, they had Thor for backup who would inform them as soon as more enemies approached.

Moving the last dead Jaffa aside with his foot, Teal'c glanced at the incompetent warrior. "They appear to bear the symbol of Ba'al."

"Maybe we're lucky and Astarte is gone already," Daniel said hopefully.

Jack growled, glaring at his friend. "I want that bitch dead."

"Me too," Sam spat with venom, surprising her friends as she clenched her fingers around the personal gun – the Carter Special similar in design to the M4/M16, one she had apparently modified herself over a year ago - she was exchanging for the zat gun. Standing with her back to the wall, she merely shrugged her shoulders at them. After everything Ba'al and Astarte had done to her, Jack and their baby she was ready to snap the woman's neck herself.

Positioning himself flat against the wall next to the door, Jack waited until the others were in place as well. 'Ready?' he mouthed. Seeing them all nod an affirmative, he reached for his radio. "Thor, how many hostiles and where is the baby?"

_"Approximately thirty Jaffa divided over the two adjoining chambers. The one you are about to enter is most heavily guarded by at least twenty Jaffa. The unidentified signal is in the adjoining room."_

Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand to calm himself. It would not do to fail now; they were so close! "The corridor?"

_"It remains suspiciously empty."_

Daniel flexed his fingers and straightened to his full height. "Nothing we can do about that," he said with grim determination.

Surprised, Jack looked at him before looking at his wife and other two friends. Even before his marriage to Sam the bond between SG-1 and even Napoleon had been strong, so he guessed he shouldn't be surprised they were all sporting serious expressions, faces reminding him of soldiers ready for battle. Of course, they  _were_  all soldiers – with the exception of Danny-boy, but even he had his moments – but never before had they had that murderous glint in their eyes. He knew, because he had seen it on himself far too many times during his career and it always surprised him it was absent from most of the people working at the SGC – except for the seasoned soldiers like himself and Teal'c. "Let's go," he whispered in a dangerous tone, opening the door.

Not entirely caught off guard, the Jaffa aimed their weapons at them and Ba'al stood behind them, smirking. However, they hadn't accounted for the raw emotion turning the normally moral, ethical yet somewhat daring and most certainly obnoxious Tau'ri into dangerous killing machines. Their projectile weapons set to automatic mowed down the incompetent Jaffa within minutes if not seconds. Teal'c used his staff weapon to blast holes in the bodies of his enemies, Jaffa who were a disgrace for his kind – not only because of their incompetence as warriors but for their allegiance to Ba'al – and used the other end to floor and hit others.

"SG-1," Ba'al said in distaste, yet even he heard the quiver in his voice when his eyes locked on those of O'Neill and Colonel Carter.

As their clips ran empty and the Jaffa were down, Sam didn't even bother to change it and let her weapon dangle on its harness clip. Before anyone could do anything or say a word, she grabbed her Beretta and fired – thrice.

Jack gaped, his ears still ringing from the weapon's fire and he stepped closer to Ba'al's fallen body. He carefully leaned over it his P-90 still trained on the lifeless body, examining the points of entry. "Sweet," he drawled, admiring the two shots to the heart and one to the center of the Goa'uld's forehead.

Daniel was still gaping, his mouth trying to form words but no sound came out as he glanced between Sam and Ba'al.

Getting out of her stupor, Janet needlessly went over to the body to check for a pulse. "Dead," she stated, feeling none.

"What's that?" Jack commented, seeing a chair-like device on the opposite wall. "Looks like that memory implant device Thor and Heimdall mentioned."

"Ah, yes," Daniel stammered a bit, finally able to talk again. "Um, wow Sam," he muttered.

Teal'c smiled at Colonel Carter, approval clear on his face. "Indeed. Should we not proceed to the adjoining room?"

"Go," Sam said, not even realizing she started giving out orders as she walked over to Jack and the device. "Janet?"

Daniel quickly followed Teal'c on his heels, again flexing his fingers nervously. He still wasn't used to shooting –  _killing_  – people and he didn't think he ever would, nor did he enjoy it. He also wasn't particularly good at it. But now was not the time to contemplate the thought of how easily he had fired upon those Jaffa, simply because he was  _so_  angry about what had happened to Sam and the baby. A glance over his shoulder showed Sam and Janet hovering over the device with Jack standing guard a few feet away. He frowned as he took position opposite to Teal'c near the door of the adjoining chambers.

"I believe O'Neill and Colonel Carter are afraid of what may lie behind this door," Teal'c informed Daniel Jackson as he noticed the Tau'ri's gaze. He too had expected O'Neill to be the first to open this door, even if he had to claw his way through. Yet, had he not also been surprised by Colonel Carter's actions mere seconds ago? He could not deny it gave him great satisfaction to see his friend avenge the wrong Ba'al had done to her. For the first time since their quest, though, he was certain they would find the child behind this door. Yet he understood the hesitancy of the two Tau'ri soldiers – they had faced many disappointments already.

Nodding, he tried to show his comprehension. "Open it," Daniel said, readying his gun.

Teal'c did as instructed and once his view of the occupants was clear, he fired upon the Jaffa females – not concerned by their status of priestesses, as they obviously were aware of the child's heritage and had not done anything about it. "O'Neill," he bellowed.

Daniel swallowed the lump in his throat as he looked at the brown-haired, blue-eyed toddler standing in the center of the room.  _There can only be one possibility, right?_ "Um, hi," he said in a gentle tone, but the child took a step backwards. As she looked up at him though, he immediately recognized the blue eyes; eyes that only minutes ago had been icy as their owner killed Ba'al.

"Teal'c, Daniel?" Jack called out after hearing his name. He wasn't sure what to make of their tone of voice. They didn't sound relieved as if they had found the baby but also not very disappointed… more like distressed or concerned.

"You guys should get over here," Daniel replied, still looking at the child.

"Why, what's going on…" his voice trailed off as he walked through the doorway and came up behind his two friends. "Oh God," he whispered, staring at the little girl before him.

"Sir?"

"Jack?" Sam questioned at the same time as Janet. Pushing past him, Sam came eye-to-eye with the child.

Teal'c immediately held out his arm to prevent his friends from getting closer. "Wait," he warned them, gesturing towards the child.

It was only then that Jack noticed the green personal shield – something Ba'al hadn't activated in time – enveloping her small frame. "What…?"

"The harakash," Daniel said in a soft tone, his eyes trained on the small ring weapon the girl had around her finger, aimed at him.

Dropping her weapons, Sam pushed Teal'c's arm away and walked around him and Daniel. "Hey ho-" She swallowed hard and cleared her throat, blinking her eyes to keep her tears at bay. "Hi honey," she tried again, leaning down and crouching a bit closer as she felt more than saw Jack come up behind her.

Staring at the pretty woman, Ataratah experienced a familiar tingle in her belly but still backed away as the imposing silver-haired man stepped closer. She pointed her hand at the man as she had been taught and blinked at the couple.

"Easy there, sweetheart," Jack cooed as he too lowered himself – mindful of the dead bodies on the floor. It certainly weren't the best circumstances to meet your child for the first time…

Raising her eyes at him, something clicked in her head and she lowered her hand slowly. "Whewe is Lowd Ba'al?"

Jack fought the emotions welling up in him as he realized she was asking about the son of a bitch who was responsible for taking her away from them – the one currently lying dead on the floor in the adjoining room. He plopped down on his six on the floor and pulled Sam down with him. "He's not coming back, honey," he tried to be gentle but couldn't help the relief sounding through his voice. Scooting forward he cautiously reached out to her in a non-threatening manner. "C'mere baby."

"Who awe you?" Ataratah felt something pull inside her and frowned, biting her lower lip. Still, she took a cautious step forward… and then another… and another.

As his fingers brushed the fabric of her deep blue mantle, he blinked his eyes furiously as he felt tears well up. "I'm… I'm your daddy."

"Daddy?" She questioned, the word coming out awkward as she tested it for the first time. Cocking her head, she looked at the pretty woman with the golden hair who felt familiar. "You?"

"I'm your mommy," Sam replied in a quivering voice, giving her a watery smile.

Before his daughter could move, Jack reached out both arms and wrapped them around her, pulling her against his chest in a tight hug – and effectively immobilizing her arm that still had the ashrak's weapon on its hand. "Oh God," he muttered, squeezing her tighter as he buried his face in her hair.

Janet tried to wipe away the tears trailing down her face, but it was of no use; they simply kept coming. "Oh my," she mumbled as the green shield flickered and then disappeared. The little girl, who looked like a perfect mixture of genes from Sam and the General, appeared to melt in the General's embrace now that the last barrier was gone. Sam immediately threw her arms around her husband and child as well.

"Our baby," Sam whispered, pressing her cheek against her daughter's shoulder.

Ataratah started pushing against the man's chest, getting uncomfortable in this unfamiliar hold. "Let go," she cried, pushing harder.

Surprised at her anguished tone, Jack immediately let go and watched his girl stumble backwards. "Careful," he cautioned her, before a blue light enveloped her. His head snapped back to his friends. "What the hell?"

Rushing towards her unconscious daughter, Sam effortlessly picked her up in her arms. "She's breathing, she's okay!"

"I'm sorry, Sir," Janet apologized, a pained look on her face. "I had to sedate her before she would hurt herself or any of us," she explained, putting away her zat. "I knew it wouldn't hurt her."

"My Lady!" Nassir exclaimed, pounding on the door to the peltac. The door opened to reveal his goddess with a questioning look on her divined face. "The Tau'ri came and the female killed Lord Ba'al!"

Frowning, Astarte stepped aside to allow him to enter and returned to her console. "What of the child?"

"Deasura was in the adjoining room; I could not reach her and had to leave to inform you of the events before the Tau'ri noticed my presence! I apologize for failing you, my Lady."

"Do not concern yourself with that," she replied coolly. "It was to be expected the Tau'ri would steal her away, driven as they were. Such passion," she sighed.

Confused, Nassir simply nodded, relieved his mistress apparently did not blame him. "Indeed. But what of Lord Ba'al-" He stopped himself as he looked at his goddess and for the first time noticed the man on the screen. "But how? I saw Colonel Carter-"

"He is a God," Astarte interrupted him, raising an eyebrow challenging him to dispute that now that he saw her consort – the original one – was very much alive.

 _"Indeed_ ," Ba'al confirmed, smirking.  _"Now, my love, it is most unfortunate but we cannot retrieve the child at this moment. Ensure you and your underlings will join me on Praxyon soon."_

She bowed respectfully, batting her lashes at him. "Of course, my Lord. I will inform you when we are underway," she replied, before disconnecting. As soon as the screen went black, she contacted Saied. "Retrieve myself, Nassir and my remaining Seraphim immediately and set course for Praxyon when we get aboard."

A bright white light enveloped the two of them before the peltac was devoid of life.

* * *

Hours later, Jack tiredly opened his eyes and squinted at the small alien standing in front of him. Glancing around the Asgard ship, he noticed his daughter was still asleep next to him in the medical pod and Sam was attached to the memory implant device. "Thor?"

"You are awake," he stated with surprise. "Doctor Fraiser and myself were able to retrieve the memories of Colonel Carter stored on the device's crystals and she is processing them now in her sleep."

"I can't believe I fell asleep," he muttered, rubbing his tired eyes. He couldn't even remember lying down or closing his eyes.

Thor tilted his head to the side curiously. "Doctor Fraiser assured me you had requested the mild sedative she injected into your bloodstream."

"Oh right,  _that_  sedative," Jack mumbled sarcastically, glaring at the petite doctor standing behind the gray Asgard.

"You needed your rest, Sir," Janet said in a non-apologetic tone.

He skeptically raised an eyebrow. "If I'm not mistaken, Doc, you've been awake longer than I have."

"Maybe Sir, but you were emotionally drained, which is not surprising since you just found your daughter," she replied with a smile as she glanced at the little girl. "Sam's naquadah and your ATA gene probably was what made her lower her guard, Sir; she recognized you because of it."

"You mean…?"

Thor nodded briefly. "Correct, while you were resting Heimdall conducted the proper tests and they revealed she is indeed your offspring. And that of Colonel Carter."

Hearing the alien's hesitant tone, Jack prodded. "But…?"

"It appears Ba'al has succeeded in his plans to implant her with the knowledge of the Ancients-"

"What?" He exclaimed loudly.

Janet stepped forward and placed her hand on the General's arm, hoping to calm him down. "Yes Sir. I won't bore you with the details but it probably has something to do with malleable intelligence and neural plasticity. The brain grows rapidly the first five years of a human's life. Children have a critical period in their brain development until they're eight years old. The critical period, defined as the beginning years of brain development, is essential to intellectual development, as the brain optimizes the overproduction of synapses present at the critical period, the neuronal pathways are refined based on which synapses are active and receiving transmission. It is a "use it or lose it" phenomenon. The beginnings of languages are formed before their second birthday and executive attention-"

"Ack! Bottom line, Doc? Because last I heard was that the human brain wasn't advanced enough for all that information. It nearly killed me – twice!"

Sighing, she relented. "I know, Sir. Not even the Asgard can comprehend all the knowledge. But it looks like Ba'al used some kind of technology – possible the memory implant device from the Galarans – to stimulate her neuronal pathways. She didn't lose any of them, Sir and by using small portions extracted from the – by the baby – activated repository he was able to implement the knowledge without adversely affecting her brain."

Rubbing his face tiredly with his hand, Jack cast his eyes to the floor, a forlorn feeling settling over him. "Now what?"

"Heimdall and myself have been able to erase small parts of it, remove the memory of what she has endured and modify the parts of her brain that we could not risk affecting, so that the knowledge still present will gradually unravel itself with time," Thor explained patiently.

"So not everything from that head sucker is in her tiny head?"

Janet chuckled softly. "No Sir, I don't think Ba'al got even halfway through. Still, it's a huge amount of knowledge she has and with Sam's genes… Phew," she whistled, shaking her head.

He nodded in understanding, once more looking at her peaceful little face. "Were you able to determine how old she is?"

"Not exactly," Thor replied. "We identified the nano-virus that is responsible for aging her this rapidly. Apparently, the different stages of development were necessary for Ba'al's execution of plans. However, we were able to reverse it as she was not born with the virus-"

"Just like when I was infected," Jack muttered, remembering that horrible time in the first year of the program he had unwittingly married an alien woman and aged over fifty years in hours!

"Correct, once we reach Earth she will return to her natural age."

Squeezing his arm gently, Janet drew his attention. "Which should be about seven weeks, Sir. Now, I think you should rest a bit more. Heimdall made sure to knock Sam out because the implantation of so many memories at once could be a bit painful and unsettling, so she won't wake up during the night. And neither will your little girl."

"I think we can all use some shut-eye," Jack murmured agreeably as he noticed Teal'c approaching.

"Indeed, O'Neill. I merely wished to inquire about your wife and daughter," Teal'c replied as he stepped up to Colonel Carter's chair. With minimal effort, he moved the chair – with the Tau'ri still in it – next to O'Neill's gurney.

He smirked, gently caressing Sam's cheek. "Thanks T. They're both doing great, and should be back to normal first thing in the morning."

"That is indeed most fortunate news. I shall inform Daniel Jackson. Goodnight, my friends," he bowed his head and left for Daniel Jackson's personal quarters.

"I'm going to bed too," Janet mumbled, discreetly yawning.

"G'night everyone," Jack replied, watching the alien and the petite doctor leave. Grabbing Carter's hand, he placed his other on the medical pod and closed his eyes.

"O'Neill," Thor spoke up, waiting for the Tau'ri to open his eyes again. "The Asgard High Council has requested I suggest the name 'Alexandra' to you and Colonel Carter. According to our research of your planet and history, it means defender or protector of mankind. With the knowledge that will slowly unfold in her mind, she will be able to protect many more species. We would be honored to name your offspring and perhaps we can collaborate on designs for  _Alexandra O'Neill_  once she is of age."

* * *

"Welcome home," Hank greeted, for once prepared for the arrival of his people. "Jack, Colonel Carter, congratulations on your daughter," he grinned, gazing at the small baby wrapped in a dark blue bundle. "And the rest of you congratulations on your success of the most important mission we've ever had to face. I think this is the best Christmas present any of us could have hoped for," he added. He realized that with everything his old friend had gone through in the past year, Christmas wouldn't be high on his priority list but he also knew their Christmas was going to be far more special with their little girl present. Not to mention their first year wedding anniversary coming up on Friday, a week before Christmas.

"Indeed," Teal'c confirmed, grinning broadly at the infant in Colonel Carter's arms.

"Well Jack," Henry Hayes gleefully rubbed his hands together. "Good job! Now, why don't you introduce your daughter to us?"

Raising his brows in surprise at the President's presence in the gate room – which was already filled with grinning personnel – he smirked, wrapping an arm around Carter. "Of course, Sir. Well kids," his eyes darted around the room, taking in all the familiar – and some unfamiliar – faces, "this is our daughter; Alexandra "Sasha" O'Neill."

A warm applause was heard at his announcement, inadvertently waking the baby. Sam tried to hush her quietly as Jack looked on.

"Um… yes," Daniel spoke up, his brows knitted together in concentration as he realized his friends needed some time alone with their baby. "Why don't we start our debrief. I can tell you all about the origins of Alexandra's- Oomph"

"Sasha," Jack interrupted him with a poke in his side.

"-name," he finished indignantly. "It were actually the Asgard who suggested it because it has a special meaning…"

Sam smiled as Sasha's chubby little fingers reached for her fingers and looked up at her husband – the man she finally remembered – as Daniel's voice trailed off while he and Teal'c were herding everyone out of the gate room. "I love you," Sam whispered, leaning into him.

"I love you two too," Jack grinned, pressing a kiss to her temple.

The End…

**Author's Note:**

> I would love to hear what everyone thought of the story, since it was a bit more adventurous than my previous ones. I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did, even though I was sometimes frustrated with it! On one hand, I'm glad it's done, that I can label it complete and yet on the other I am somewhat sad because I truly liked the research and everything. One of my other fics, "Found" is a short sequel to this one.
> 
> To top it all off, this fic has been awarded the 2011 GateFic Award in the SG-1 Het Fic: Sam/Jack Alternate Reality category ! How awesome is that?


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